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In the present study, the course of SARS‐CoV‐2 natural infection in two asymptomatic cats, which were negative for immunosuppressive retroviral infections, is investigated. The source of the virus for the cats was their COVID‐19‐affected owner, with whom they were in continuous proximity in a small household setting. The owner's signs included fatigue, sneezing, anosmia and loss of taste, and diagnosis was confirmed 4 days after symptom onset. Oropharyngeal and faecal swabs were collected from the cats, to investigate the course of SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA concentrations, as well as the directionality of the chain of virus transmission. Both infected cats were real‐time RT‐PCR‐positive on various time‐points. Pharyngeal shedding of at least 6 days was observed in them, with high SARS‐CoV‐2 titres (> 7 Log 10 copies/swab) on the first sampling time‐point, that is, 7 days after the onset of owner's clinical signs. In one cat, after the initial decline, slightly increasing virus titres were measured 3 to 6 days after the first real‐time RT‐PCR‐positive swab. Serological testing of this cat revealed absence of seroconversion. The course of viral RNA concentrations in the faecal swabs of the other cat was similar to that in its pharynx. The detected SARS‐CoV‐2 strains, from both infected cats and their owner, underwent whole‐genome sequencing, revealing the absence of emergence of cross‐species adaptive mutations in cats. The results support the notion that human SARS‐CoV‐2 strains are relatively well‐adapted to cats. It is still unclear whether asymptomatic animals could play a role in COVID‐19 epidemiology, in case of interaction with naïve animals and/or people. Our findings highlight difficulties in SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission to cats, as neither the two infected cats nor their owner was able to transmit the virus to a third cat living in the same small flat, despite their very close contact during the days corresponding to high virus shedding.

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The present study was designed to determine the efficacy of a novel multicomponent mycotoxin detoxifying agent (MMDA) containing modified zeolite (Clinoptilolite), Bacillus subtilis, B. licheniformis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell walls and silymarin against the deleterious effects of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and Ochratoxin A (OTA) in broiler chicks. A total of 160 one-day-old Ross 308® broiler chicks were randomly allocated in four treatment groups, with four replicates, according to the following experimental design for 42 days. Group A received a basal diet; Group B received a basal diet contaminated with AFB1 and OTA at 0.1 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg, respectively; Group C received a basal diet contaminated with AFB1 and OTA and MMDA at 1 g/kg feed, and Group D received a basal diet contaminated with AFB1 and OTA and MMDA at 3 g/kg feed. Results showed that ingested mycotoxins led to significant (p ≤ 0.05) reduction in body weight and feed conversion from 25 days of age, induced histopathological changes, increased the pH of the intestinal content, and altered the biochemical profile of birds with significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased aspartate aminotransferase (AST) values (p ≤ 0.05). On the other hand, the supplementation of MMDA significantly (p ≤ 0.05) improved the feed conversion ratio (FCR) during the second part of the study, diminished biochemical alterations, reduced pH in jejunal and ileal content, and E. coli counts in the caeca of birds (p ≤ 0.05). It may be concluded that the dietary supplementation of the MMDA partially ameliorated the adverse effects of AFB1 and OTA in broilers and could be an efficient tool in a mycotoxin control program.

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