Animal Coronaviruses and SARS-COV-2 in Animals, What Do We Actually Know?

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a well-known group of viruses in veterinary medicine. We currently know four genera of Coronavirus, alfa, beta, gamma, and delta. Wild, farmed, and pet animals are infected with CoVs belonging to all four genera. Seven human respiratory coronaviruses have still been identified, four of which cause upper-respiratory-tract diseases, specifically, the common cold, and the last three that have emerged cause severe acute respiratory syndromes, SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. In this review we briefly describe animal coronaviruses and what we actually know about SARS-CoV-2 infection in farm and domestic animals.

Automated summary

Coronaviruses are a well-known group of viruses in veterinary medicine, with four known genera infecting wild, farmed, and pet animals. In humans, seven respiratory coronaviruses have been identified, causing a range of diseases from the common cold to severe acute respiratory syndromes. This review discusses animal coronaviruses and the current understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection in farm and domestic animals.