Texas A&M Contributes to Global Coronavirus Study in Humans and Cattle

Researchers from the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences’ (VMBS) Veterinary Education, Research, and Outreach (VERO) program are part of an international team investigating the transmission of coronaviruses. They are exploring whether an individual’s microbiome, the collection of microbes living in or on the body, influences this transmission.

Coronaviruses, a diverse family of viruses, can cause various diseases across species. In humans, they range from the common cold to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). In cattle, they can lead to diarrhea in calves and respiratory issues in adults. The Texas A&M researchers will study viral transmission using cattle as a model for group "commingling events"—when unfamiliar animals or people gather with intensive and sustained contact in a defined space and time.