Scientists study coronavirus outbreaks among minks in Europe

MADRID (AP) — Coronavirus outbreaks at mink farms in Spain and Nerlands have scientists digging into how animals got infected and if y can spread it to people.

In meantime, authorities have killed more than 1 million minks at breeding farms in both countries as a precaution.

virus that first infected people in China late last year came from an animal source, probably bats, and later spread from person to person, as or coronaviruses had done in past. Some animals, including cats, tigers and dogs, have picked up new coronavirus from people, but re hasn’t been a documented case of animals spreading it back to humans.

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outbreaks among minks on farms in Nerlands and Spain likely started with infected workers, although officials aren’t certain. But it also is “plausible” that some workers later caught virus back from minks, Dutch government and a researcher said, and scientists are exploring wher that was case and how much of a threat such a spread might be.

outbreak at Spanish mink farm near La Puebla de Valverde, a vill of 500 people, was discovered after seven of 14 employees, including owner, tested positive in late May, said Joaquín Olona, regional chief of agriculture and environment. Two or employees got infected even after operation was shut down.

More than 92,000 minks were ordered killed at farm in Aragon region of rastern Spain, with nine out of 10 animals estimated to have contracted virus.

After Dutch outbreaks began in April, professor Wim van der Poel, a veterinarian who studies viruses at Wningen University and Research, determined that virus strain in animals was similar to one circulating among humans.

“We assumed it was possible that it would be transmitted back to people again,” virus expert said, and that’s what appeared to have happened with at least two of infected workers.

Richard Ostfeld, a researcher at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York, said that if confirmed, se would be first kwn instances of animal-to-human transmission.

“With evidence for farmed mink-to-human transmission, we definitely need to be concerned with potential for domesticated animals that are infected to pass on ir infection to us,” Ostfeld said by email.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says some coronaviruses that infect animals can be spread to humans and n spread between people, but it adds that this is rare.

Both World Health Organization and Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health, are studying transmission of virus between animals and people. Several universities and research institutes also are examining issue.

WHO has ted that transmission on mink breeding farms could have happened both ways. But WHO’s Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said at a news conference last month that such transmission was “very limited.”

“This gives us some clues about which animals may be susceptible to infection and this will help us as we learn more about potential animal reservoir of ( virus),” she said, referring to cases in Nerlands and Denmark, ar major producer of mink fur.

While scientists think virus originated in bats, it may have passed through ar animal before infecting people. A WHO team is currently in China, planning to study issue.

More than 1.1 million minks have been killed on 26 Dutch farms that recorded outbreaks, according to Nerlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority. government anunced Thursday that minks at a 27th farm also were infected and would be killed. Nerlands, which has some 160 mink farms, is world’s fourth-biggest producer of prized fur after Denmark, China and Poland, according to Wim Verhn, director of Dutch federation of fur farmers. Spain has 38 active mink breeding operations, most of m in rthwestern Galicia.

Both Spain and Nerlands have tightened hygiene protocols at mink farms and banned transportation of animals and visits to buildings where y are kept.

China, which produces about a third of mink fur market, and United States have t reported any virus outbreaks in minks or animals at or farms.

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Corder reported from Hague. Associated Press writers Maria Cheng in London and Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed.