Investigations on the potential role of free-ranging wildlife as a reser-voir of SARS-Coronavirus-2 in Switzerland

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on human society. Although the source of the virus remains unclear, all indications point to an origin in wild animals. It is also becoming increasingly clear that a variety of domestic and wild animal species are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, which has led, among other things, to the recommendation to include wild animals in infection surveillance. COVID-19 is a typical example of a disease that should be investigated using a One Health approach. To date, there is no information on virus prevalence or the potential role of free-ranging wild animals as a virus reservoir in Switzerland. The present study aims to investigate various wild animal species for possible SARS-CoV-2 infection. Based on their postulated susceptibility and risk of infection, the following species are primarily being examined: felids (European wildcat, Eurasian lynx), canids (grey...