Thousands of mink on Utah’s fur farms have died of coronavirus in the past 10 days, forcing nine sites to be quarantined in 3 counties, but the state veterinarian said other people did not appear to be threatened by the outbreak.
COVID-19 infections are likely to have spread from mink ranch staff to animals, with no symptoms to date that animals pass it on to humans, said Dr. Dean Taylor, a state veterinarian investigating the outbreak.
“We don’t think there’s a wonderful threat to move from mink to town,” he said Thursday.
Between 7,000 and 8,000 mink have died since the disease wiped out the ranches produced by animals, popular for their sumptuous skin. So far, no animal in Utah has been slaughtered because of the disease, and that doesn’t seem necessary, Taylor said.
The skin of dead inflamed animals will be treated for any signs of the virus and then used for coats and other clothing, according to Fur Commission USA, a mink trade group. The United States produces more than 3 million mink skins each year.
Taylor refused to visit the farms or counties where the affected mink were found.
With mink, as with humans, COVID-19 is less fatal for people.
“It crosses breeding colonies and gets rid of the older mink and leaves the younger mink unhinged,” Taylor said. Most of the deaths occurred in elderly mink of 1 to 4 years.
In addition to mink, more than 50 animals in the United States underwent coronavirus testing until September 2, according to the US Department of Agriculture. But it’s not the first time Infections have been detected in cats and puppies, as well as in lions and tigers at a New York zoo.
Mink appears to be sensitive to COVID-19, due to a protein in its lungs, the ACE2 receptor, which joins the virus and appears to be susceptible to infection, according to the University and Wageningen Research in the Netherlands. they have this protein in their lungs.
The COVID outbreak in Utah has increased since mid-August, when the USDA showed the first of the disease in animals.
In April it was discovered that mink was infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, after outbreaks on several farms in the Netherlands, followed by outbreaks in Denmark and Spain. More than a million animals have been slaughtered in these countries. , according to the Associated Press.
Several of Utah’s mink farms tested positive for COVID-19, and some had no symptoms.
“Some of our mink breeders have more than one facility, and that’s how it spreads,” Taylor said.
A study in the Netherlands found that the virus gave the impression of being transmitted among other people and the mink, but knowledge to date remains limited.
Following confirmation of early cases in the United States, mink farms in Utah and the rest of the country implemented strict measures to prevent the disease from spreading, such as restricting access, wearing down staff fitness checks, and disinfecting surfaces. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued rules for breeding mink and other mustelids, a circle of animal relatives that also includes weasels and badgers.
“Clearly, it’s very worrying to have such a sensitive species at such a high mortality rate,” Taylor said.
The outbreak has led to the quarantine of a quarter of Utah’s 3 dozen mink ranches and raised statewide considerations, said Clayton Beckstead, regional director for the Utah Farm Bureau and a fourth-generation mink breeder.
“We’re worried, but I think everyone’s taking pretty excessive biosecurity measures,” said Beckstead, whose own farm has not been affected.
Utah is one of the largest mink producers in the country. Overall, there are 245 fur farms in 22 states, which belong to an industry valued at $82. 6 million according to the year, according to the US Skin Commission. But it’s not the first time
Investigating an outbreak of a new virus in a new species is “intimidating,” Taylor said.
“We are informed as quickly as we can, ” he said. We’re running to help those animals and this industry. “
Related: In this archive photo of December 6, 2012, mink look from a cage on a fur farm in the village of Litusovo, northeast of Minsk, Belarus. On Monday, August 17, 2020, authorities showed their first cases of coronavirus in the US. But it’s not the first time Five swollen mink have been detected on two Utah farms, the Department of Agriculture announced. Testing began after farms reported unusually high mortality rates among small animals appreciated for their fur (AP Photo/Sergei Grits, file)
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