Companion animals likely do not spread COVID-19 but may get infected themselves

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). From the epidemiological data, the picture emerges that the more severe etiopathologies among COVID-19 patients are found in elderly people. The risk of death due to COVID-19 increases exponentially with age. Eight out of 10 COVID-19 related deaths occur in people older than 65 years of age. Older patients with comorbid conditions such as hypertension, heart failure, diabetes mellitus, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer have a much higher case fatality rate. Governments and public health authorities all over the world have realized that protections of vulnerable older adults should be a priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease. The SARS-CoV-2 virus was originally transmitted likely from a bat or a pangolin to humans. Recent evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2, similar to other coronaviruses, can infect several species of animals, including companion animals such as dogs, cats, and ferrets although their viral loads remain low. While the main source of infection transmission therefore is human to human, there are a few rare cases of pets contracting the infection from a SARS-CoV-2-infected human. Although there is no evidence that pets actively transmit SARS-CoV-2 via animal-to-human transmission, senior pet ownership potentially may pose a small

An Overview of SARS-CoV-2 and Animal Infection

“…One of them might receive infection from her infected owner, while the other cat might receive infection either from asymptomatic household members or upon contact with an infected individual outside its home (35,57). Also, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the feces and vomit of two infected pet cat living with infected owners in Belgium and Hong Kong indicating active replication of the virus (13,59,60). In this respect, SARS-CoV-2 has been reported to replicate only in the upper respiratory tract of cats and this replication was not associated with severe disease or death (30).…”

“…Although dogs have low susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection (30), two pet dogs from Hong Kong and another from North Italy were infected with SARS-CoV-2 infection, without symptoms, due to contact with SARS-CoV-2 infected persons (13,27,31,47,60). Dogs have ACE2 receptors, similar to human ACE2 (hACE2), that function as SARS-CoV receptors which raises the possibility that dogs might be a potential intermediate host (47).…”

“…A Malayan tiger at Bronx Zoo, New York, USA was tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 as the first case of animal infection in USA. This tiger was the first infected tiger anywhere in the world and the first case of human to non-domestic animal transmission (36,60). Later, the infection has been detected in four tigers and three lions (37,70) indicating that different feline species are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection (60).…”

“…Although there is no confirmation that pet animals have a role in the spreading of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (31), researchers suggest that pet animals may be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Therefore, studies are recommended to verify which other pets and companion animals can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 (60). It is also recommended to limit the contact between the infected owner and pets, avoid kissing animals, apply basic hygiene measures (36,58), and prevent pets from interacting with other animals or individuals outdoors (57).…”

SARS-CoV-2 infection in farmed minks, associated zoonotic concerns, and importance of the One Health approach during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

“…Theoretically, SARS-CoV-2 may be transmitted from companion animals such as dogs and cats to humans and vice versa through droplets in the air, saliva, and bites of the infected animals. Other practices involving direct contact with pets, including snuggling, petting, and being kissed or licked may further increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission between the owners and their pets (Csiszar et al 2020). However, the available data indicate that the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from animals to humans is low (Salajegheh Tazerji et al 2020).…”