Based on today's knowledge, the risk of acquiring a SARS‐CoV‐2 infection while undergoing a transplantation procedure using porcine‐derived materials should be considered low but likely needs to be properly assessed. Until this is the case, donor pigs can simply be tested by PCR for the presence of SARS‐CoV‐2 viral RNA or once available by serology for antibodies to further rule out any infection. This practice is currently already in place for human blood donors in Wuhan and Hubei Province in China.
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In summary, SARS‐CoV‐2 is emerging and spreading at a high rate in the human population. Due to the large number of infected people often with high virus loads, SARS‐CoV‐2 could potentially spill over in other species including pigs and this should be monitored closely. Evidence from SARS‐CoV would suggest that it is likely to detect SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA in pigs but perhaps unlikely that the virus would be amplified in pigs.
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