COVID-19 in mink farm reveals early lung damage

Phys.org What happens inside the lungs before COVID-19 symptoms appear? Research in mink offers a rare window into the early stages of the disease. These insights matter for both animal and human health. Researchers and veterinary pathologists from Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR, part of Wageningen University & Research), together with Royal GD and Utrecht University, followed the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection in mink. Their findings, recently published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, show how the disease develops, spreads and interacts throughout the whole body often before it becomes clinically visible. “Deep inside the lungs, damage is already unfolding before the first signs of illness appear,” says WBVR-researcher and veterinary pathologist Sandra Vreman.