SARS-CoV-2 Infection Pathology in Farmed Minks

45 minks from an infected farm were divided into four health status groups for a study of SARS-CoV-2 pathology and viral spread. The research includes histopathology, immunohistochemistry, virology, and serology data, with over 57% of animals co-infected with Aleutian Disease Virus. Findings indicate severe lung pathology and systemic viral antigen presence even in asymptomatic animals.

Use Cases

• Analyze histopathological lesion severity across the four clinical health status groups (FD, NCSc, CSc, FDc) to correlate with viral load.
• Investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies from serology data in relation to viral RNA levels found in nasal swabs and lung tissues.
• Study the distribution of viral antigen expression in extra-respiratory tissues like the intestine, spleen, and lymph nodes across all animal groups.
• Examine the co-infection rate with Aleutian Disease Virus (ADV) based on qPCR data and its potential interaction with SARS-CoV-2 pathology.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a controlled study of 45 minks across four distinct clinical health status groups.
• Includes multi-modal analysis covering histopathology, immunohistochemistry, virology, serology, and proteomics.
• Findings are specific to natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in a veterinary and zoonotic context, with a noted 57% ADV co-infection rate.

Limitations

• The dataset is very small in scale, comprising only 39.1 KB as a supplementary document, limiting statistical power.
• Sample data and specific columnar structure are unavailable, restricting direct computational analysis.
• Geographic scope is limited to a single infected farm, with the study context specifically tied to the 2020 Netherlands outbreak.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Sandra Vreman.

Collection Method

Pathological, immunohistochemical, virological, and serological investigation of minks from a naturally infected farm.

Time Range

Associated with the 2020 SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in farmed minks.

Freshness

Last updated March 24, 2026.

Geography

Netherlands (infected mink farm).