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Volume 31, Number 7—July 2025

Research

Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha Variant in White-Tailed Deer, Ohio, USA

Natalie N. Tarbuck1, Sofya K. Garushyants1, Dillon S. McBride, Patricia M. Dennis, John Franks, Karlie Woodard, Austin Shamblin, Michael G. Sovic, Derek T. Collins, Kyle Van Why, Richard J. Webby, Martha I. Nelson, and Andrew S. BowmanComments to Author 
Author affiliation: The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA (N.N. Tarbuck, D.S. McBride, P.M. Dennis, A. Shamblin, M.G. Sovic, A.S. Bowman); National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA (S.K. Garushyants, M.I. Nelson); Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Cleveland, Ohio, USA (P.M. Dennis); St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA (J. Franks, K. Woodard, R.J. Webby); Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA (D.T. Collins); Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA (K. Van Why).

Main Article

Figure 3

Time-scaled maximum clade credibility tree of the Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating in WTD in northeast Ohio, USA. The tree was inferred by using a host-specific local clock for the complete genome sequences of 362 SARS-CoV-2 clade B.1.1.7 viruses sampled December 29, 2020–November 3, 2023. Branches are shaded by host: gray, human or mink; pink, WTD. Circles at tips are shaded by location and source: blue, WTD from Ohio; green, WTD from Pennsylvania (2022–2023); pink, WTD from other states (or Pennsylvania in 2021); white, mink (Lithuania and Poland); and gray, human (2022–2023). Deer transmission clusters are shaded similarly and indicated by paired deer illustrations. Single-deer illustrations indicate singleton introductions into WTD. Singleton WTD viruses are labeled, and a representative virus is provided for each WTD transmission cluster, with the number of additional viruses in the cluster in parentheses. Posterior probabilities are provided for key nodes. WTD, white-tailed deer.

Figure 3. Time-scaled maximum clade credibility tree of the Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating in WTD in northeast Ohio, USA. The tree was inferred by using a host-specific local clock for the complete genome sequences of 362 SARS-CoV-2 clade B.1.1.7 viruses sampled December 29, 2020–November 3, 2023. Branches are shaded by host: gray, human or mink; pink, WTD. Circles at tips are shaded by location and source: blue, WTD from Ohio; green, WTD from Pennsylvania (2022–2023); pink, WTD from other states (or Pennsylvania in 2021); white, mink (Lithuania and Poland); and gray, human (2022–2023). Deer transmission clusters are shaded similarly and indicated by paired deer illustrations. Single-deer illustrations indicate singleton introductions into WTD. Singleton WTD viruses are labeled, and a representative virus is provided for each WTD transmission cluster, with the number of additional viruses in the cluster in parentheses. Posterior probabilities are provided for key nodes. WTD, white-tailed deer.

Main Article

1These authors contributed equally to this article.

Page created: May 13, 2025
Page updated: June 25, 2025
Page reviewed: June 25, 2025
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