SARS-CoV-2 in Danish Mink Farms: Course of the Epidemic and a Descriptive Analysis of the Outbreaks in 2020

Simple Summary Since 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has spread and become a global pandemic. Unexpectedly, infection of farmed mink by SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the Netherlands in April 2020 and infections in three mink farms in Denmark were detected in June. Approximately 1140 mink farms were present in Denmark at the time, and a rapid increase in the number of farms with infected mink occurred from September onwards. Features of the infection on these farms were examined and potential routes of transmission between farms evaluated. It is apparent that the infection spread very easily between mink within a farm and can spread to and from people with close contact to the farmed mink. The infection spread between farms in close proximity to each other, but direct human contact is still the only identified route of virus transmission. SARS-CoV-2 infection is the cause of COVID-19 in humans. In April 2020, SARS-CoV-2 infection in farmed mink (Neovision vision) occurred in the Netherlands. The first outbreaks in Denmark were detected in June 2020 in three farms. A steep increase in the number of infected farms occurred from September and onwards. Here, we describe prevalence data collected from 215 infected mink farms to characterize spread and impact of disease in infected farms. In one third of the farms, no clinical signs were observed. In farms with clinical signs, decreased feed intake, increased mortality and respiratory symptoms were most frequently observed, during a limited time period (median of 11 days). In 65% and 69% of farms, virus and sero-conversion, respectively, were detected in 100% of sampled animals at the first sampling. SARS-CoV-2 was detected, at low levels, in air samples collected close to the mink, on mink fur, on flies, on the foot of a seagull, and in gutter water, but not in feed. Some dogs and cats from infected farms tested positive for the virus. Chickens, rabbits, and horses sampled on a few farms, and wildlife sampled in the vicinity of the infected farms did not test positive for SARS-CoV-2. Thus, mink are highly susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2, but routes of transmission between farms, other than by direct human contact, are unclear.

Automated summary

Since 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has become a global pandemic, spreading to mink farms in the Netherlands and Denmark, where infected mink can easily transmit the virus within farms and to humans through close contact. The virus was detected in various samples from infected farms, showcasing the susceptibility of mink to SARS-CoV-2, but the exact routes of transmission between farms remain unclear, with direct human contact still being the primary mode of transmission.