SARS-CoV-2 Infection Pathology in Farmed Minks

45 minks from an infected farm were studied, divided into four groups based on clinical health status and time of sampling. The research examines pathology, immunohistochemistry, virology, and serology, finding interstitial pneumonia and systemic viral spread even in asymptomatic animals. Over 57% of the minks were co-infected 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 the distribution of viral antigen expression across tissues (nose, trachea, lungs, intestine, spleen, lymph nodes) among the different mink groups.
• Study the relationship between viral RNA levels in nasal/throat swabs and lung tissues versus levels in extra-respiratory organs like the spleen and liver.
• Examine serology data for SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies across all groups to understand immune response independent of clinical signs.
• Assess the impact of Aleutian Disease Virus co-infection, present in over 57% of minks, on SARS-CoV-2 disease progression and pathology.

Strengths

• Study includes 45 minks with detailed group stratification based on health status and sampling time.
• Multimodal analysis covering pathology, immunohistochemistry, virology, serology, and proteomics on the same subjects.
• Findings are grounded in natural infection from a farm outbreak, providing real-world disease context.
• Explicitly reports a co-infection rate of over 57% with Aleutian Disease Virus, adding a layer of complexity to the analysis.

Limitations

• The dataset is small, with only 45 subjects, limiting statistical power for subgroup analyses.
• Data is contained in a 496.6 KB DOCX file, indicating it is likely a textual summary or supplementary document rather than a structured, machine-readable dataset.
• Sample is from a single infected farm in the Netherlands, which may limit geographical generalizability of findings.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Sandra Vreman.

Collection Method

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

Time Range

Study period not specified, but related to 2020 outbreak investigations.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-03-24.

Geography

Data originates from a mink farm in the Netherlands.