Recent work at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) in Germany reviewed SARS-CoV-2, a recently emerged zoonotic pathogen. Researchers examined susceptibility of fruit bats, ferrets, pigs, and chickens.
In the report summary, FLI reported pigs and chickens could not be productively infected by SARS-CoV-2 under the experimental conditions used in their work. The authors acknowledged that, according to the current state of knowledge, neither pigs nor chickens were affected by SARS-CoV-2 and therefore do not pose a potential risk to human health.
The study also shows virus replication in ferrets resembles the situation of a mild human infection. Consequently, ferrets might serve as a useful model for further studies.
Read the entire report summary here.