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Volume 28, Number 4—April 2022
Dispatch

SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak among Malayan Tigers and Humans, Tennessee, USA, 2020

Heather N. GromeComments to Author , Becky Meyer, Erin Read, Martha Buchanan, Andrew Cushing, Kaitlin Sawatzki, Kara J. Levinson, Linda S. Thomas, Zachary Perry, Anna Uehara, Ying Tao, Krista Queen, Suxiang Tong, Ria Ghai, Mary-Margaret Fill, Timothy F. Jones, William Schaffner, and John Dunn
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (H.N. Grome, A. Uehara, Y. Tao, K. Queen, S. Tong, R. Ghai); Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville, Tennessee, USA (H.N. Grome, M.-M. Fill, T.F. Jones, J. Dunn); Knox County Health Department, Knoxville, Tennessee (B. Meyer, E. Read, M. Buchanan); University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville (A. Cushing); Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA (K. Sawatzki); Tennessee Laboratory Services, Nashville (K.J. Levinson, L.S. Thomas, Z. Perry); Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville (W. Schaffner)

Main Article

Figure 2

Whole-genome phylogenetic analysis from of an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infection among Malayan tigers and humans at a zoo, Tennessee, USA, October 2020. The tree shows a close-up view of clade 20G divergence estimates from the SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan-Hu-1 reference genome and sequences from humans living in Tennessee and Malayan tigers sampled during the outbreak investigation. Sequence analysis showed 3–6 SNP differences between 1 human tiger keeper and all 3 tiger sequences (GISAID accession nos. EPI_ISL_292844–6). Differences are indicated by 1-step edges (lines) between colored dots (individual SARS-CoV-2 sequenced infections). Numbers indicate unique sequences. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred through approximate maximum-likelihood analyses implemented in TreeTime (13) by using the NextStrain pipeline (14). All high-quality genome sequences from Tennessee were downloaded from the GISAID (https://www.gisaid.org) database on March 16, 2021. Pangolin lineages for investigation sequences were assigned on March 16, 2021. Not all analyzed sequences are shown in this figure because some were outside clade 20G. CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; SNP, single-nucleotide polymorphism.

Figure 2. Whole-genome phylogenetic analysis from of an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infection among Malayan tigers and humans at a zoo, Tennessee, USA, October 2020. The tree shows a close-up view of clade 20G divergence estimates from the SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan-Hu-1 reference genome and sequences from humans living in Tennessee and Malayan tigers sampled during the outbreak investigation. Sequence analysis showed 3–6 SNP differences between 1 human tiger keeper and all 3 tiger sequences (GISAID accession nos. EPI_ISL_292844–6). Differences are indicated by 1-step edges (lines) between colored dots (individual SARS-CoV-2 sequenced infections). Numbers indicate unique sequences. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred through approximate maximum-likelihood analyses implemented in TreeTime (13) by using the NextStrain pipeline (14). All high-quality genome sequences from Tennessee were downloaded from the GISAID (https://www.gisaid.org) database on March 16, 2021. Pangolin lineages for investigation sequences were assigned on March 16, 2021. Not all analyzed sequences are shown in this figure because some were outside clade 20G. CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; SNP, single-nucleotide polymorphism.

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