doi:10.3390/ani12151971engVillanueva Saz, S.Giner, J.Palomar, A. M.Gómez, M. A.Põdra, M.Aranda, M. C.Jiménez, M. A.Lizarraga, P.Hernández, R.Portillo, A.Oteo, J. A.Ruíz-Arrondo, I.Pérez, M. D.Tobajas, A. P.Verde, M.Lacasta, D.Marteles, D.Hurtado-Guerrero, R.Santiago, L.Ruiz, H.Fernández, A.No evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in wild mink (Mustela lutreola and neogale vison) from northern Spain during the first two years of pandemicART-2022-130042The impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on wildlife is largely unevaluated, and extended surveillance of animal species is needed to reach a consensus on the role of animals in the emergence and maintenance of SARS-CoV-2. This infection has been detected in farmed and domestic animals and wild animals, mainly in captivity. The interactions or shared resources with wildlife could represent a potential transmission pathway for the SARS-CoV-2 spill over to other wild species and could lead to health consequences or the establishment of new reservoirs in susceptible hosts. This study evaluated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in European mink (Mustela lutreola) and American mink (Neogale vison) in Spain by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using the receptor binding domain (RBD) of Spike antigen in serum samples and/or by RT-qPCR assays in oropharyngeal and rectal swabs. From January 2020 to February 2022, a total of 162 animals (127 European mink and 35 American mink) with no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection were included in the study. Antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 were not found in the serum samples analysed (n = 126), nor was the virus amplified by RT-qPCR (n = 160 swabs). Our results suggest that the potential role of wild mink and the European mink bred in captivity and released to the wild as dispersers of SARS-CoV-2 is so far low. However, wildlife surveillance for early detection of human and animal risks should be continued. In this sense, epidemiological monitoring measures, including serology and molecular analysis, are necessary.2022http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/11892710.3390/ani12151971http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/118927oai:zaguan.unizar.es:118927info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/BFU2016-75633-Pinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/PID2019-105451GB-I00info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/E34-R17info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA-FEDER/B29-17Rinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/LMP58-18info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/TB13667info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/ISCIII/COV20-0030info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MCIU-AEI/SAF2017-83120-C2-1-Rinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO/CTQ2013-44367-C2-2-Pinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MITECO/18MNES002Animals 12, 15 (2022), 1971 [10 pp.]byhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess