Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is an ongoing global health concern. The exact source of the virus has not been identified, but it is believed that this novel coronavirus originated in animals; bats in particular have been implicated as the primary reservoir of the virus. SARS-CoV-2 can also be transmitted from humans to other animals, including tigers, cats, and mink. Consequently, infected people who work directly with bats could transfer the virus to a wild North American bat, resulting in a new natural reservoir for the virus, and lead to new outbreaks of human disease. We evaluated a reverse-transcription real-time PCR panel for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in bat guano. We found the panel to be highly specific for SARS-CoV-2, and able to detect the virus in bat guano samples spiked with SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA. Our panel could be utilized by wildlife agencies to test bats in rehabilitation facilities prior to their release to the wild, minimizing the risk of spreading this virus to wild bat populations.

严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 是 2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 的病原体，这是一个持续的全球健康问题。该病毒的确切来源尚未确定，但据信这种新型冠状病毒起源于动物；蝙蝠尤其被认为是病毒的主要宿主。SARS-CoV-2 也可以从人类传播给其他动物，包括老虎、猫和水貂。因此，直接与蝙蝠打交道的感染者可能会将病毒传播给野生的北美蝙蝠，从而形成新的病毒天然宿主，并导致新的人类疾病爆发。我们评估了用于检测蝙蝠鸟粪中 SARS-CoV-2 的逆转录实时 PCR 面板。我们发现该小组对 SARS-CoV-2 具有高度特异性，并且能够在添加了 SARS-CoV-2 病毒 RNA 的蝙蝠鸟粪样本中检测到病毒。野生动物机构​​可以利用我们的小组在蝙蝠释放到野外之前在康复设施中对其进行测试，从而最大限度地降低将这种病毒传播给野生蝙蝠种群的风险。