SARS-CoV-2 Infection Pathology in Farmed Minks

A 2020 study from the Netherlands analyzes 45 farmed minks naturally infected with SARS-CoV-2, divided into four groups based on clinical health status and sampling time. The dataset contains results from pathology, immunohistochemistry, virology, serology, and proteomics investigations, including findings on co-infection with Aleutian Disease Virus.

Use Cases

• Analyze the correlation between clinical health status groups (FD, NCSc, CSc, FDc) and histopathological findings like interstitial pneumonia severity.
• Investigate viral RNA levels across sampled tissues (nasal swabs, throat swabs, lung, spleen, liver, intestine) to model systemic viral spread.
• Examine serology data for SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies across all mink groups to assess immune response.
• Study the prevalence of Aleutian Disease Virus co-infection, reported in over 57% of minks, and its potential interaction with SARS-CoV-2 pathology.
• Use proteomics data from whole blood to compare immune-related protein expression between the defined clinical groups.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a controlled study of 45 minks with detailed group stratification (FD, NCSc, CSc, FDc).
• Includes multi-modal analysis covering pathology, virology, serology, and proteomics from a single infected farm.
• Explicitly reports a key co-infection statistic: over 57% of minks were co-infected with Aleutian Disease Virus.

Limitations

• The dataset is small, with only 45 animal subjects, limiting statistical power for subgroup analyses.
• Data is geographically limited to a single infected farm in the Netherlands, which may not represent infections in other regions or mink populations.
• As a supplementary file from a specific study, the data scope is narrow and focused on the described experimental groups and measurements.

Provenance

Source

Figshare, authored by Sandra Vreman.

Collection Method

Data collected from a pathological and virological study of minks on an infected farm, with animals divided into four clinical groups.

Time Range

2020

Freshness

Data reflects a 2020 outbreak and study, last updated in the repository on 2026-03-24.

Geography

Netherlands (a single infected mink farm).