Cats and SARS-CoV-2: A Scoping Review

Doliff, Ramona; Martens, Pim

doi:10.3390/ani12111413

Cited by 21 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 90 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In addition to the persistent inter-host transmission of the virus, chronic infection in immunocompromised (or in healthy) individuals is an important source of the emergence of new variants by which the virus could acquire mutations and evolve to gain increased infectivity and immune evasion ( 34 – 36 ). Moreover, SARS-CoV-2 is now capable of infecting a variety of animal species, including dogs, house cats and rodents ( 37 , 38 ), suggesting that these host animals can serve as a large reservoir from which new viral variants can be developed through recombination between different strains similarly as Delta-Omicron recombinant viruses were developed ( 39 ). Such variants may spill over to humans, followed by reverse spill over from humans to other animal species in a repeated manner, necessitating advanced preparedness for the future emergence of zoonotic sarbecoviruses, including the development of pan-sarbecovirus vaccines and broadly nAbs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural basis for the broad and potent cross-reactivity of an N501Y-centric antibody against sarbecoviruses

Jeong

Jeon²,

Lai

et al. 2022

Front. Immunol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

More than 80% of SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Alpha and Omicron, contain an N501Y mutation in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein. The N501Y change is an adaptive mutation enabling tighter interaction with the human ACE2 receptor. We have developed a broadly neutralizing antibody (nAb), D27LEY, whose binding affinity was intentionally optimized for Y501. This N501Y-centric antibody not only interacts with the Y501-containing RBDs of SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron, with pico- or subnanomolar binding affinity, but also binds tightly to the RBDs with a different amino acid at residue 501. The crystal structure of the Fab fragment of D27LEY bound to the RBD of the Alpha variant reveals that the Y501-containing loop adopts a ribbon-like topology and serves as a small but major epitope in which Y501 is a part of extensive intermolecular interactions. A hydrophobic cleft on the most conserved surface of the RBD core serves as another major binding epitope. These data explain the broad and potent cross-reactivity of this N501Y-centric antibody, and suggest that a vaccine antigenic component composed of the RBD core and a part of receptor-binding motif (RBM) containing tyrosine at residue 501 might elicit broad and potent humoral responses across sarbecoviruses.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural basis for the broad and potent cross-reactivity of an N501Y-centric antibody against sarbecoviruses

Jeong

Jeon²,

Lai

et al. 2022

Front. Immunol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Cases were reported among farm minks’ farmworkers ( 5 , 32 ) and there was a recent case of cat to human transmission in Thailand ( 4 ). Cats usually shed low amounts of virus ( 15 , 19 , 33 , 34 ) and given that since the beginning of the pandemic by December 2019, only a few transmission cases were reported until now, the companion animal-to-human transmission route may not the main source of virus circulation. However, apart from the precautions clinical veterinarians should take when dealing with sick animals, the most important potential role of either companion, production or wild animals in the pandemic might be to act as reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cats are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 than dogs ( 14 ). Several studies revealed that the virus replicates only in the upper respiratory tract of cats and this replication was not associated with severe disease or death, except in kittens or cats with comorbidities ( 15 , 16 ). Cats can transmit the infection to other cats ( 17 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serological screening of SARS-CoV-2 infection in companion animals of Buenos Aires suburbs

Cardoso

C²,

Castillo

et al. 2023

Front. Vet. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a zoonotic disease caused by the pandemic virus SARS-CoV-2. Domestic and wild animals are susceptible to infection and are potential reservoirs for virus variants. To date, there is no information about the exposure of companion animals in Buenos Aires Suburbs, the area with the largest population in Argentina where the highest number of COVID-19 human cases occurred during the first infection wave. Here we developed a multi-species indirect ELISA to measure antibodies reactive to the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) from several vertebrates constituting the class Mammalia, making it a valuable tool for field serosurveillance. The ELISA cut-off value was estimated by sera from dogs, cats, cattle, and pigs sampled before 2019 (n = 170), considering a 98% percentile and a grey zone to completely exclude any false positive result. Specificity was confirmed by measuring levels of neutralizing antibodies against canine coronavirus, the avidity of specific antibodies, and their capacity to impede the binding of a recombinant RBD protein to VERO cells in an In-Cell ELISA. Sera from 464 cats and dogs sampled in 2020 and 2021 (“pandemic” samples) were assessed using the RBD-ELISA. Information on COVID-19 disease in the household and the animals’ lifestyles was collected. In Buenos Aires Suburbs cats were infected at a higher proportion than dogs, seroprevalence was 7.1 and 1.68%, respectively. Confirmed COVID-19 in the caregivers and outdoor lifestyle were statistically associated with seropositivity in cats. The risk of cats getting infected living indoors in COVID-19-negative households was null. The susceptibility of mammals to SARS-CoV-2, the possibility of transmission between animals themselves and humans, together with the free-roaming lifestyle typical of Buenos Aires suburban companion animals, urge pursuing responsible animal care and avoiding human interaction with animals during the disease course. The multi-species RBD-ELISA we developed can be used as a tool for serosurveillance of SARS-CoV-2 infection in mammalians (domestic and wild), guiding further targeted virological analyses to encounter susceptible species, interspecies transmission, and potential virus reservoirs in our region.

show abstract

“…Cats are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and show in general no to only mild clinical signs, as reported in several field and experimental studies reviewed and summarized by [ 8 , 35 , 36 ]. However, there is limited information available about the immune response shortly after infection, which is necessary to strengthen our knowledge about the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 in cats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immune Responses and Pathogenesis following Experimental SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Domestic Cats

Vreman

Heijden

Ravesloot

et al. 2023

Viruses

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Several reports demonstrated the susceptibility of domestic cats to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here, we describe a thorough investigation of the immune responses in cats after experimental SARS-CoV-2 inoculation, along with the characterization of infection kinetics and pathological lesions. Specific pathogen-free domestic cats (n = 12) were intranasally inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 and subsequently sacrificed on DPI (days post-inoculation) 2, 4, 7 and 14. None of the infected cats developed clinical signs. Only mild histopathologic lung changes associated with virus antigen expression were observed mainly on DPI 4 and 7. Viral RNA was present until DPI 7, predominantly in nasal and throat swabs. The infectious virus could be isolated from the nose, trachea and lungs until DPI 7. In the swab samples, no biologically relevant SARS-CoV-2 mutations were observed over time. From DPI 7 onwards, all cats developed a humoral immune response. The cellular immune responses were limited to DPI 7. Cats showed an increase in CD8+ cells, and the subsequent RNA sequence analysis of CD4+ and CD8+ subsets revealed a prominent upregulation of antiviral and inflammatory genes on DPI 2. In conclusion, infected domestic cats developed a strong antiviral response and cleared the virus within the first week after infection without overt clinical signs and relevant virus mutations.

show abstract

Cats and SARS-CoV-2: A Scoping Review

Cited by 21 publications

References 90 publications

Structural basis for the broad and potent cross-reactivity of an N501Y-centric antibody against sarbecoviruses

Structural basis for the broad and potent cross-reactivity of an N501Y-centric antibody against sarbecoviruses

Serological screening of SARS-CoV-2 infection in companion animals of Buenos Aires suburbs

Immune Responses and Pathogenesis following Experimental SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Domestic Cats

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About