First cases of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in dogs and cats in Thailand

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in humans since late 2019. Here, we investigated SARS-CoV-2 infection in dogs and cats during COVID-19 quarantine at private veterinary hospitals in Thailand. From April to May 2021, we detected SARS-CoV-2 in three out of 35 dogs and one out of nine cats from four out of 17 households with confirmed COVID-19 patients. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected from one of the nasal, oral, rectal and environmental swabs of dog-A (15 years old, mixed breed, male dog), cat-B (1 year old, domestic shorthair, male cat), dog-C (2 years old, mixed breed, female dog) and dog-D (4 years old, Pomeranian, female dog). The animals tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA from 4 to 30 days after pet owners were confirmed to be COVID-19 positive. The animals consecutively tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA for 4 to 10 days. One dog (dog-A) showed mild clinical signs, while the other dogs and a cat remained asymptomatic during quarantine at the hospitals. SARS-CoV-2 specific neutralizing antibodies were detected in both the dogs and cat by surrogate virus neutralization tests. Phylogenetic and genomic mutation analyses of whole genome sequences of three SARS-CoV-2 strains from the dogs and cat revealed SARS-CoV-2 of the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7 lineage). Our findings are suggestive of human-to-animal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19-positive households and contamination of viral RNA in the environment. Public awareness of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pet dogs and cats in close contact with COVID-19 patients should be raised.

SARS-CoV-2 delta variant infection in domestic dogs and cats, Thailand

“…The B.1.617.2 lineage was a predominant lineage of the recent 4th wave of COVID-19 outbreaks in Thailand 13 . Comparing to the previous study in Thailand, SARS-CoV-2 infection in dogs and cats in April to May 2021, dogs and cats were infected with the prevalence of 8.6% (3/35) in dogs and 11.1% (1/9) in cats (23.5%; 4 from 17 COVID-19 households) and SARS-CoV-2 of the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7 lineage) was identified 1 . Notably, SARS-CoV-2 delta variant (B.1.617.2) infection in dogs was first reported in Kansas, USA and Barcelona, Spain in mid-2021 17 , 18 .…”

“…During investigation period, we identified SARS-CoV-2 delta variant of concern (B.1.617.2) in dogs and cats with the occurrence of 20.0% (1/5) in dogs and 7.1% (1/14) in cats (16.7%; 2 from 12 COVID-19 households). Notably, the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 may relate to timing of sample collection, health condition of animals and close contact with the owners 1 , 22 , 23 . The B.1.617.2 lineage was a predominant lineage of the recent 4th wave of COVID-19 outbreaks in Thailand 13 .…”

“…Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been reported to infect several animal species. In Thailand, the first cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in dogs and cats were reported in May-2021 and have raised a public health concern 1 . To date, SARS-CoV-2 spillover from humans to animals have been reported globally in 32 countries in at least 17 animal species such as cats, dogs, mink, otter, pet ferrets, lions, tigers, pumas, snow leopards, gorillas, white-tailed deer, fishing cat, binturong, coati, hyena, lynx, hippopotamus and hamster (as of January 2022) 2 .…”

“…To date, SARS-CoV-2 spillover from humans to animals have been reported globally in 32 countries in at least 17 animal species such as cats, dogs, mink, otter, pet ferrets, lions, tigers, pumas, snow leopards, gorillas, white-tailed deer, fishing cat, binturong, coati, hyena, lynx, hippopotamus and hamster (as of January 2022) 2 . In domestic dogs and cats, SARS-CoV-2 infection has been reported in several countries in America, Europe, and Asia 1 – 9 .…”

“…Spill-over of the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concerns poses higher risk to domestic animals. The SARS-CoV-2, alpha variant (B.1.1.7) transmission from human to dogs and cats have been reported worldwide during early COVID-19 outbreaks 1 , 15 , 16 . Moreover, the SARS-CoV-2, delta variant (B.1.617.2) infection in dogs emerged in the US, Spain and China, and will became more frequent scenario 17 – 19 .…”