Dozens of animals could be vulnerable to infection with the virus strain that causes Covid-19, according to new research.
Scientists suggest 26 animals that are regularly in contact with people may be susceptible to infection, including dogs, pigs, horses, cats and rabbits.
Other species include tigers, mink and lions - which have already had reported cases - and ferrets and macaques, which have been infected in laboratory studies.
The animals could end up spreading the killer bug or re-introduce it to the human population in the future, according to scientists at University College London (UCL).
They investigated whether mutations in the ACE2 protein in 215 different animals would bind like it does in humans.
For some animals, such as sheep and great apes - including chimpanzee, gorilla and orangutan – the proteins would be able to bind together just as strongly as they do when the virus infects people.
However, some of the animals, such as sheep, have not yet been studied with infection tests, so this does not confirm that the animal can be infected.
Lead author Professor Christine Orengo, of UCL Structural and Molecular Biology, said: “We wanted to look beyond just the animals that had been studied experimentally, to see which animals might be at risk of infection, and would warrant further investigation and possible monitoring.
“The animals we identified may be at risk of outbreaks that could threaten endangered species or harm the livelihoods of farmers.
“The animals might also act as reservoirs of the virus, with the potential to re-infect humans later on, as has been documented on mink farms.”
The researchers also examined certain animals in more detail to gain a better understanding of how infection risks may differ across animal species.
By comparing their findings to other experimental data, they set thresholds to predict which animals are at risk of infection, and which most likely cannot be infected.
The study found that most birds, fish, and reptiles do not appear to be at risk of infection, but the majority of the mammals they reviewed could potentially be infected.
