SARS-CoV-2 exposure in deer increases with use of human-modified habitat

Abstract Deer can transmit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to humans and harbour human-extinct variants. Despite this public health threat, ecological mechanisms driving exposure patterns in deer populations remain poorly understood. Our objective was to identify behavioural risk factors by linking serostatus of individual deer to their movement and space use using multilevel logistic regression. We examined serosurveillance data of white-tailed (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (O. hemionus) wearing global positioning system devices across an urban–rural gradient in the United States (1151 individuals, 20 sites, 8 states). Seropositivity was positively associated with average human footprint index and negatively associated with average SARS-CoV-2 human wastewater concentration. Seropositivity was not associated with time spent in GAP-modelled deer habitat. Together, these findings provide evidence that human-to-deer transmission could be a primary source of deer SARS-CoV-2 exposure and deer populations may struggle to maintain transmission without repeated spillover from humans. Integrating human and environmental indices with movement behaviours and space use can thus clarify pathways that facilitate cross-species transmission in wildlife.

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Publication Details

Journal
Biology Letters
Published
2026-11-04
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2026.0410
Primary Topic
Zoonotic diseases and public health
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

SARS-CoV-2 exposure in deer increases with use of human-modified habitat

Grete Wilson‐Henjum, James D. Forester, Tadao Kishimoto, Meggan E. Craft et al.
Biology Letters
Zoonotic diseases and public health
article

SARS-CoV-2 exposure in deer increases with use of human-modified habitat

Grete Wilson‐Henjum, James D. Forester, Tadao Kishimoto, Meggan E. Craft, Kim M. Pepin, Meredith C. VanAcker, Jennifer M. Mullinax, William David Walter, Georgia Titcomb, Kezia R. Manlove, Tyler J. Garwood, Laura Dudley Plimpton, Roderick B. Gagne, Dailee L. Metts, Michael E. Egan, Aung Nyein Chan, Jennifer L. Malmberg, George Wittemyer, Tiffany M. Wolf, Amira Roess, M. Wilber, Lisa I. Muller, Maria A. Diuk‐Wasser, Rebecca M. Windell, Travis Gallo, Justin R. Kosiewska, Guillaume Bastille‐Rousseau, Jeffrey C. Chandler, Daniel M. Grove, Jennifer Høy‐Petersen, Taylor Anderson, Cameron Mitchell, Jacob D. Wyrick, Sara Hathaway, Alec Baker, Marnee K. Roundtree, Jeremy Alder, Megan Morrison
article en

Abstract

Abstract Deer can transmit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to humans and harbour human-extinct variants. Despite this public health threat, ecological mechanisms driving exposure patterns in deer populations remain poorly understood. Our objective was to identify behavioural risk factors by linking serostatus of individual deer to their movement and space use using multilevel logistic regression. We examined serosurveillance data of white-tailed (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (O. hemionus) wearing global positioning system devices across an urban–rural gradient in the United States (1151 individuals, 20 sites, 8 states). Seropositivity was positively associated with average human footprint index and negatively associated with average SARS-CoV-2 human wastewater concentration. Seropositivity was not associated with time spent in GAP-modelled deer habitat. Together, these findings provide evidence that human-to-deer transmission could be a primary source of deer SARS-CoV-2 exposure and deer populations may struggle to maintain transmission without repeated spillover from humans. Integrating human and environmental indices with movement behaviours and space use can thus clarify pathways that facilitate cross-species transmission in wildlife.

Biology LettersVol. 22(11)
University of California, Riverside (US), Southern Illinois University Carbondale (US), Utah State University (US), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (US), Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (US), University of Minnesota (US), Pennsylvania State University (US), Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (US), United States Department of Agriculture (US), George Mason University (US), Colorado Parks and Wildlife (US), National Wildlife Research Center (US), University of Maryland, College Park (US), Washington State University (US), University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US), Columbia University (US), Colorado State University (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 12%
Zoonotic diseases and public health
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