Detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 clade B.1.2 in three snow leopards

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is one of seven coronaviruses known to infect humans. Different from other concerned coronavirus and influenza viruses, SARS‐CoV‐2 has a higher basic reproduction number and thus transmits more efficiently among hosts. Testing animals for SARS‐CoV‐2 may help decipher virus reservoirs, transmission and pathogenesis. Here, we report the first detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 in three snow leopards (Panthera uncia) in a zoo in Kentucky in 2020, the first year of the pandemic. Sequence analysis revealed that snow leopard SARS‐CoV‐2 strains were non‐variant B.1.2 lineage and closely correlated with human strains. One snow leopard shed SARS‐CoV‐2 in faeces up to 4 weeks. Based on clinical signs and viral shedding periods and levels in the three snow leopards, animal‐to‐animal transmission events could not be excluded. Further testing of SARS‐CoV‐2 in animals is needed.