The Principles of the Global Veterinary Ethics Congress:
1] Integrity, honesty, and truthfulness for the betterment of the Animal Kingdom
2] Beneficence: Acts of charity, mercy, and kindness with a strong connotation of doing good with all interactions concerning the Human-Animal Bond
3] Respect, Justice, and Integrity within the Five Freedoms
4] Veterinarians shall continue to study, apply and advance scientific knowledge, make relevant information available to pet advocates, colleagues, and the public, obtain consultation, and use the talents of other health professionals when indicated as proposed in One Medicine
5] There will be on-going review of the techniques in the continued betterment of zoo species; aquatic species; farm animals; service and therapy dogs; and all other members of the Animal Kingdom.
The Epithet:
The epithet of the Global Veterinary Ethics Congress [GVEC] concerns the union of the Human-Animal Bond and Ethics.
It centers on total freedom for all Members of the Animal Kingdom to live a quality~~~ pain-free life!
Dr. Don DeForge
Acting Chair-Global Veterinary Ethics Congress
We have been consumed by the COVID-19 pandemic for over a year. Our lives has changed and will never be the same. We have learned to adapt and reconfigure each day as a vaccine program has been unrolled to stop the spread of this deadly virus.
Different groups have sprouted. There is the group that feels his is a hoax manipulated and configured to change the world as a political tool. The anti-vaccine lobby is strong stating the vaccine is not safe and more testing is needed if they will use it or recommend its use in their families. Finally, there is the group that feels that the COVID-19 vaccines are the only way to quell the spread of the disease so that we can live safely in this NEW NORMAL
The New Normal includes at present: social distancing; wearing face masks; decreasing large social gatherings; and hand washing frequently. It includes testing before being allowed to enter sports and entertainment forums and/or evidence of vaccine completion.
We must work together as The Family of Man. If we break up into small groups that have their own agenda, the recovery will be prolonged and new waives of infection with variants will be reported day after day and week after week.
No regulatory group truly understand this virus. As the months pass, new vaccines will be developed and new drugs will be found to help in the control of COVID-19.
In this web log, Dr. William Hardy-world famous infectious disease expert gives us a summary of where we are today.
Inauguration day, January 20, 2021, was the 1-year
anniversary of the first case of COVID-19 diagnosed in this country, and after
27 million infections with SARS-CoV-2 and 468,217 deaths, and the slow roll-out
of the vaccine, I am struggling to understand how such an “advanced” country has
allowed this to happen. Some milestones from this year: 93,000 deaths worldwide
just in the last week, and a record 4,375 Americans died of COVID on
inauguration day. This issue of the Newsletter will discuss some current
aspects of the world-wide continuing, and worsening, pandemic in people and
animals.
Why is the
Pandemic Worse?
The pandemic is worse due
to holiday gatherings, lack of routine mask wearing in many parts of the
country, pandemic fatigue, and politics. As of the printing of this Newsletter,
February 10, 2021, the data are staggering: world-wide infections 107,011,739
and deaths 2,343,666, USA infections 27,193,849 and deaths 468,217 (Johns Hopkins Univ Med, http://coronvirus.jhu.edu/). Our only hope to control this virus is through
effective worldwide vaccine implementation, development of an effective therapy
and a worldwide political will for implementation of remediation programs.
Animals:
We continue to review the animal
SARS-CoV-2 world literature to find what animals are susceptible to this virus.1
It is imperative to determine if any pet, or peridomestic, wild, or endangered
animals can become a natural reservoir for this virus and possibly transmit the
virus back to susceptible people. The list of animals susceptible to infection
with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is increasing as indicated in the following tables. The
virus has been confirmed in 3 families of the Order Carnivora: canids- dogs and
racoons, felids- pet cats, tigers, lions, pumas/cougars and snow leopards, and
mustelids- minks and ferrets. These findings are alarming in that new animal
species, replicating the SARS-CoV-2, may create an uncontrollable reservoir
that may create even more pathogenic viral variants which may be capable of jumping
back to humans or to other species.
Pet cats can be infected from their
owners and can transmit the virus to other cats by the aerosol route. To date, no pet cats have been shown to be
able to transmit the virus back to people, but minks are able to do so (see the
USDA data, as of January 15, 2021, on the back of the Newsletter). Pet dogs and cats are the species most often
exposed to infected people, whereas mink breeding facilities worldwide, have
the most infected animals due to their crowded housing facilities.
Now the question is: should a vaccine
be developed for pets and other animals? There is a pet cat SARS-CoV-2 vaccine
in development. Do we need a vaccine for
endangered non-human primates and other endangered species? Translating the human vaccine methods to animal
species should be relatively easy.
SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility
of Peridomestic Wildlife Animals
|
Animal |
Susceptible & Shed
Virus |
|
Deer mice |
Yes |
|
Bushy-tailed wood rats |
Yes |
|
Striped skunks |
Yes |
|
Mink |
Yes
& Shed |
|
Ferrets |
Yes
& Shed |
|
Fruit bats |
Yes
& Shed |
|
White-tailed deer |
Yes |
|
Racoons |
Yes |
|
House mice |
No |
|
Cottontail rabbits |
No |
|
Black-tailed prairie dogs |
No |
|
Fox Squirrels |
No |
Pet Animals
|
Animal |
Susceptible & Shed
Virus |
|
Cats |
Yes
& Shed |
|
Dogs |
Yes |
|
Ferrets |
Yes
& Shed |
|
Hamsters |
Yes |
SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of
Farm Animals
|
Animal |
Susceptible & Shed Virus |
|
Cattle |
No |
|
Pigs |
No |
|
Horses |
No |
|
Chickens |
No |
|
Ducks |
No |
SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of
Wild Animals
|
Animal |
Susceptible & Shed Virus |
|
Lions (zoo) |
Yes |
|
Tigers (zoo) |
Yes |
|
Gorillas (zoo) |
Yes |
|
Snow leopards (Zoo) |
Yes |
|
Pumas/cougars |
Yes |
|
Grivets |
Yes |
|
Tree shrews |
Yes |
|
Rhesus monkeys |
Yes |
|
Cynomolgus
macaques |
Yes |
|
Common marmosets |
Yes |
|
Pangolins |
Yes |
Figure 1
Credit: Colin D. Funk, Craig Laferrière, and Ali Ardakani -
Funk CD, Laferrière C and Ardakani A (2020) A Snapshot of the Global Race for
Vaccines Targeting SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Front. Pharmacol.
11:937.https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2020.00937, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=99473787
There are 7 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine
platforms (Figure 1). The vaccine target is the spike viral surface protein that
is used by the virus to attach to susceptible cells that carry the angiotensin
converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) receptor protein. The Pfizer-BioTech COVID-19 and Moderna
COVID-19 vaccines are mRNA (nucleoside-modified mRNA encoding the pre-fusion
stabilized spike glycoprotein (S) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus) encased in a lipid
nanoparticle to protect the fragile mRNA from degradation. This lipid nanoparticle
was the breakthrough discovery that is enabling mRNA vaccinology.3
There are presently 2 FDA
approved vaccines available and many more to come. Both are COVID-19 mRNA
vaccines are given in the upper arm muscle. The mRNA instructions for the viral
spike protein, within the lipid nanoparticles, are phagocytosed by muscle and dendritic
immune cells. The cells then use the viral mRNA instructions to make the surface
proteins of the virus. The introduced mRNA never enters the DNA in the nucleus
of the cells. After the viral surface proteins are made, the cells break down releasing
the SARS-CoV-2 immunogenic spike proteins and degrades the mRNA. Non-immune muscle
cells can potentially absorb vaccine mRNA, manufacture spikes, and display
spikes on their surfaces, however, dendritic cells
absorb the mRNA nanoparticles much more avidly.
Once the dendritic cells
are activated, they migrate to lymph nodes,
where the antigen is presented to T and B lymphocytes
which then leads to the production of antibodies and immune killer T-cells that
are specifically targeted to the SARS-CoV-2 surface spike protein, resulting in
immunity.
The benefit of using an mRNA
vaccine is to have the vaccinee’s host cells produce the antigens, under the
instructions of the mRNA, which is far easier than producing the antigen
proteins or attenuated viruses in bulk ex vivo. Speed of design and production is another
advantage. Moderna designed their mRNA-1273 vaccine for COVID-19 in just 4 days
after receiving the sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Another important advantage of mRNA-vaccines
is that, since the immunogens are produced inside cells, they stimulate both cellular
and humoral immunity.
To reiterate, mRNA vaccines do not enter
into or reprogram DNA inside of vaccinee’s cells. The synthetic mRNA fragment is a copy of a specific
part of the viral RNA, the protein spike, and is not related to any human DNA.
This misconception was circulated as the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines came to public
prominence, and is a debunked conspiracy
theory.
SARS-CoV-2 Viral
Variants:
Currently, four new mutant variants
of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have occurred that cause coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
These variants seem to spread more easily and have now been found in the U.S.
and many other countries.
U.K., B.1.1.7: This variant was first identified in the
U.K and has 23 mutations. Several of these mutations are in the spike S protein
that the virus uses to attach itself to the surface of human cells. This
variant might be associated with an increased risk of death compared to other
variants and has the potential to infect an
estimated 50 percent more people.
South Africa, B.1.351: A variant
identified in South Africa, has multiple mutations in the S protein. There's no
evidence that this variant causes more severe COVID-19 disease.
Brazil, P.1: The P.1 variant has 17 mutations, including 3
in the S protein. Some evidence suggests that this variant might be less
vulnerable to antibodies generated by a previous COVID-19 infection or a current
vaccine.
California, L452R: This variant was identified in several large outbreaks in Santa Clara County, California. The variant carries 3 spike protein mutations.
Studies of the Pfizer-BioNTech
and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are needed to provide evidence of protection against
the four variants presently identified. Vaccine manufacturers are already
looking into creating booster shots to improve protection against variants. And, as with influenza viruses, SARS-CoV-2
viral variants may mean that yearly vaccinations with current prevalent strains
may be needed.
SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Therapy:
There has not been much
progress in development of effective, life-saving therapy for SARS-CoV-2
infection or for the COVID-19 disease. We
need an effective anti-viral drug.
Harvard Medical School recommendations below:
Convalescent Plasma: patients who received convalescent
plasma within three days of developing symptoms were 48% less likely to develop
severe COVID-19 illness compared to patients who received placebos.
Monoclonal Antibody to the Surface Spike Proteins: These therapies must be
given intravenously soon after developing symptoms. The treatment can reduce
the risk of hospitalization and emergency room visits.
Remdesivir: Clinical
trials suggest that remdesivir may modestly speed up recovery time.
Hydroxychloroquine : A paper in JAMA, reported
no clinical benefits.
Dexamethasone: Patients who require supplemental oxygen or
ventilators, and receive dexamethasone, are less
likely to die within 28 days than those who received standard care. No benefit occurred
in patients who did not need respiratory support. https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/treatments-for-covid-19
References:
1. National
Veterinary Services Laboratory data:
Updated January 15, 2021.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/one_health/downloads/sars-cov2-in-animals.
2. Lindsey, P., Allan, J., Brehony, P. et al. Conserving
Africa’s wildlife and wildlands through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. Nat
Ecol Evol 4, 1300–1310 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1275-6.
3. Dolgin, E. How COVID unlocked the power of RNA. Nature
589: 189-191, 2021.
 |
SARS-CoV-2 & COVID-19 references can be obtained at: www.nlm.nih.gov
National Veterinary
Laboratory, Inc., 2021©
