SARS-CoV-2 infection in a hippopotamus, Hanoi, Vietnam

While investigating the death of a hippopotamus at a zoo in Hanoi, Vietnam, a team of scientists from the National Institute of Veterinary Research in Vietnam, the International Livestock Research Institute and Chungnam National University isolated SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and sequenced the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene from different organs. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the SARS-CoV-2 strain was closely related to three  human SARS-CoV-2 strains in Vietnam.

The study, published in Emerging Infectious Diseases (Mar 2023), was supported by the CGIAR COVID-19 Hub and the CGIAR Initiative on One Health.

Citation

Vuong Nghia Bui, Tung Duy Dao, Long Hoang Tran, Thanh Thi Vu, Trang Huyen Nguyen, Giang Hoang Nguyen, Kien Viet Dung Tran, Huyen Xuan Nguyen, Anh Ngoc Bui, Unger, F., Hung Nguyen-Viet and Hu Suk Lee. 2023. SARS-CoV-2 infection in a hippopotamus, Hanoi, Vietnam. Emerging Infectious Diseases 29(3): 658–661.