A new study found that rats in New York City are carrying COVID-19, and researchers have sounded the alarm that they could infect humans with it.
Published Thursday in the American Society for Microbiology's mBio journal, scientists at the University of Missouri said that they trapped 79 rats from the city's sewer systems and found that 13 had the virus previously, with four currently infected.
A separate test where some rats were exposed to the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2 demonstrated that each showed signs of contracting the virus two to four days after infection.
"Our findings highlight the need for further monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in rat populations for potential secondary zoonotic transmission to humans," said Henry Wan, a lead researcher on the study and professor at the University of Missouri.
"Overall, our work in this space shows that animals can play a role in pandemics that impact humans; and it's important that we continue to increase our understanding so we can protect both human and animal health," he added.
The study's conclusion comes despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's official position that animal-to-human transmission of COVID-19 is rare and that "there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading" the virus to people.
According to The Guardian, previous studies of rats in Hong Kong and Belgium found that they were exposed to at least one variant of SARS-CoV-2.
The Daily Mail reported that scientists fear the possibility that the next major pandemic will come from a disease transmitted from animals to humans.
Some are warning that a strain of bird flu H5N1 could have already crossed over, leading to the death of an 11-year-old Cambodian girl. In response, the World Health Organization has urged countries to monitor the strain.
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