They became the first non-human primates to receive an experimental injection against the coronavirus.
- Earlier this year, several symptomatic gorillas at the zoo tested positive for Covid-19 and were placed in quarantine.
Monkeys and humans with very similar genomes, four orangutans and five American bonobos each received two doses of an experimental vaccine developed by the specialist firm Zoetis. “Never in my career have I had access to an experimental vaccine so early in the process, and never have I had such a desire to use it,” rejoiced on the National Geographic site Nadine Lamberski, health manager of the San Diego zoo which houses the primates.
A win for science: our partners at @Zoetis, a veterinary pharmaceutical company, developed a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) that we used to vaccinate great apes at the Zoo. The vaccine was created specifically for animals. @NatGeo https://t.co/ZpM5QVD4pl
—San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (@sandiegozoo) March 5, 2021
A vaccine designed specifically for animals
The great apes have been immunized with a vaccine designed specifically for animals, zoo officials tweeted yesterday (Friday, March 5). Earlier this year, several symptomatic gorillas at the zoo tested positive for Covid-19 and were placed in quarantine. These are the first known cases of natural transmission of Sras-cov-2 to great apes, which have now fully recovered.
Humans and monkeys have a very similar genome: for example, we share 98% of our DNA with gorillas. As a result, the two species can suffer from the same diseases, as was the case in Africa for Ebola in particular.
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