Dataset Information

Evidence of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in cats and dogs from households in Italy.

ABSTRACT: SARS-CoV-2 emerged from animals and is now easily transmitted between people. Sporadic detection of natural cases in animals alongside successful experimental infections of pets, such as cats, ferrets and dogs, raises questions about the susceptibility of animals under natural conditions of pet ownership. Here, we report a large-scale study to assess SARS-CoV-2 infection in 919 companion animals living in northern Italy, sampled at a time of frequent human infection. No animals tested PCR positive. However, 3.3% of dogs and 5.8% of cats had measurable SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titers, with dogs from COVID-19 positive households being significantly more likely to test positive than those from COVID-19 negative households. Understanding risk factors associated with this and their potential to infect other species requires urgent investigation.

SUBMITTER: Patterson EI

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7718263 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Evidence of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in cats and dogs from households in Italy.

Patterson E I EI Elia G G Grassi A A Giordano A A Desario C C Medardo M M Smith S L SL Anderson E R ER Prince T T Patterson G T GT Lorusso E E Lucente M S MS Lanave G G Lauzi S S Bonfanti U U Stranieri A A Martella V V Solari Basano F F Barrs V R VR Radford A D AD Agrimi U U Hughes G L GL Paltrinieri S S Decaro N N

Nature communications 20201204 1

SARS-CoV-2 emerged from animals and is now easily transmitted between people. Sporadic detection of natural cases in animals alongside successful experimental infections of pets, such as cats, ferrets and dogs, raises questions about the susceptibility of animals under natural conditions of pet ownership. Here, we report a large-scale study to assess SARS-CoV-2 infection in 919 companion animals living in northern Italy, sampled at a time of frequent human infection. No animals tested PCR positi ...[more]

PMID: 33277505

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Project description:Simple Summary The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, which has kept the world in suspense since the beginning of 2020. Infected owners can transmit the virus to their cats and dogs, but it is not exactly known how often this happens. Here, we investigated samples from cats and dogs that live in households in Poland for antibodies against the virus. Antibodies are produced subsequently to a SARS-CoV-2 infection and can be detected for much longer than the virus itself. We found that approximately 18.9% of the cats and 16.0% of the dogs sampled had previously come into contact with the virus and developed antibodies. This suggests a continuous occurrence of virus transmission from infected owners to their pets. Abstract The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for a pandemic in the human population that has unfolded since the beginning of 2020 and has led to millions of deaths globally. Apart from humans, SARS-CoV-2 has been confirmed in various animal species, including felines, canines, mustelids, and primates. Of these species, dogs and cats are the most popular companion animals worldwide. Several seroprevalence studies have already been performed in these animal species; however, the results vary depending on the location and especially the time of sampling. Here, serum samples were collected from a total of 388 dogs and 243 cats from three veterinary clinics in two cities (Gdańsk and Olsztyn) in Poland between October 2021 and February 2022, when the country was in the midst of the fourth wave of viral spread. All sera were tested for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 by a multispecies ELISA based on the receptor-binding domain and by an indirect immunofluorescence assay (iIFA). Overall, 18.9% of the feline sera and 16.0% of the canine sera tested positive using ELISA and iIFA. This relatively high seroprevalence among randomly selected animals is most likely related to the high case numbers in the human population and indicates a continuous occurrence of transspecies virus transmissions from infected owners to their pets. Hence, dogs and cats should be included in monitoring studies and/or outbreak investigations for a better understanding of the epidemiology of this virus.

Dataset Information

Evidence of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in cats and dogs from households in Italy.

Publications

Evidence of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in cats and dogs from households in Italy.

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