Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated lesions in exotic and companion animals

Abstract

Documented natural infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in exotic and companion animals following human exposures are uncommon. Those documented in animals are typically mild and self-limiting, and infected animals have only infrequently died or been euthanized. Through a coordinated One Health initiative, necropsies were conducted on 5 animals from different premises that were exposed to humans with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. The combination of epidemiologic evidence of exposure and confirmatory real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction testing confirmed infection in 3 cats and a tiger. A dog was a suspect case based on epidemiologic evidence of exposure but tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. Four animals had respiratory clinical signs that developed 2 to 12 days after exposure. The dog had bronchointerstitial pneumonia and the tiger had bronchopneumonia; both had syncytial-like cells with no detection of SARS-CoV-2. Individual findings in the 3 cats included metastatic mammary carcinoma, congenital renal disease, and myocardial disease. Based on the necropsy findings and a standardized algorithm, SARS-CoV-2 infection was not considered the cause of death in any of the cases. Continued surveillance and necropsy examination of animals with fatal outcomes will further our understanding of natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in animals and the potential role of the virus in development of lesions.

Clinical and epidemiologic features of SARS-CoV-2 in dogs and cats compiled through national surveillance in the United States

“…We also discovered that virus speci c neutralizing antibody is rapidly produced. Rapid and sustained titers of neutralizing antibody after infection may have contributed to the mild nature of disease observed in the majority of animals in this study (see Carpenter et al 25 , Carvallo et al 46 , and Rotstein et al 47 for descriptions of companion animal mortalities that occurred while pets were positive for SARS-CoV-2).…”

Clinical and epidemiologic features of SARS-CoV-2 in dogs and cats compiled through national surveillance in the United States

“…We also discovered that virus speci c neutralizing antibody is rapidly produced. Rapid and sustained titers of neutralizing antibody after infection may have contributed to the mild nature of disease observed in the majority of animals in this study (see Carpenter et al 25 , Carvallo et al 46 , and Rotstein et al 47 for descriptions of companion animal mortalities that occurred while pets were positive for SARS-CoV-2).…”

SARS-CoV-2 infection in free roaming dogs from the Amazonian jungle

“…Differences in surveillance study detection, either serology or RT-qPCR, in domestic animals could reflect that the infective period between the human diagnosis and animal diagnosis is not known [ [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] , [26] , [27] , [28] ]. Nevertheless, although not surveillance studies, there are two reports involving necropsies of dogs and cats diagnosed with COVID-19 by RT-qPCR [ 29 , 30 ].…”