The role of pets in SARS-CoV-2 transmission: an exploratory analysis

Teixeira, Ana Izabel Passarella; Brito, Raíssa N.; Gontijo, Carolina Carvalho; Romero, Gustavo Adolfo Sierra; Ramalho, Walter Massa; Haddad, Rodrigo; Noronha, Elza Ferreira; Araújo, Wildo Navegantes de

doi:10.1007/s15010-022-01860-5

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Most of the caretakers assisted the clinic with a consultation about different symptoms, or to verify if their companion animals had been infected after their convalescence, so we could not identify any animal infection before the onset of the disease in the household. However, animal-to-human transmission is possible, and the presence of companion animals in the house was identified as a risk of infection by SARS-CoV-2 ( 18 ). Cases were reported among farm minks’ farmworkers ( 5 , 32 ) and there was a recent case of cat to human transmission in Thailand ( 4 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between experimentally infected cats implied the feasibility of cat-to-human transmission, which was demonstrated recently ( 4 ). It can be argued that the role of pet-cats in transmitting the disease is limited because they are indoor animals ( 18 ), while dogs are always considered more actively immersed in human daily life with closer interaction with other people apart from their own household members. However, this may not be the case in many suburban areas in countries like Argentina, where cats are not exclusively indoor animals and they circulate freely between houses and wander in the street, making contact mostly with other cats and in a lesser extent, with other humans than their caregivers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Cardoso

C²,

Castillo

et al. 2023

Front. Vet. Sci.

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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.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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.

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“…As with many other catastrophic pandemics, SARS-CoV-2, which was transmitted from an animal origin to humans, is causing devastating health and economic impacts worldwide [ 19 ]. To date, SARS-CoV-2 has been sporadically detected in naturally infected dogs and cats, most of which were living in close contact with infected humans [ 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Few studies of companion animals have been undertaken because of an inevitable research focus on human disease [ 23 , 24 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on our current knowledge, it is unlikely that infected pets play an active role in SARS-CoV-2 transmission to humans [ 4 ]. In contrast, there are several studies and communications on companion animals living in areas of high human infection [ 20 , 21 ]. Cats are susceptible to human SARS-CoV-2 infection likely due to the high degree of similarity between the human and feline forms of ACE2 [ 34 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in Dogs and Cats from Households and Animal Shelters in Korea

Bae

Tark

Moon

et al. 2022

Animals

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The COVID-19 pandemic was caused by the zoonotic SARS-CoV-2. A variety of animals involved in human life worldwide have been investigated for infection. As the degree of infection increased, extensive monitoring in animals became necessary to determine the degree of infection in animals. The study was conducted on a sample of dogs and cats, which were randomly sampled according to the number of confirmed cases in the region. Animals from both COVID-19-confirmed households and generally disease-negative families and animal shelters were included. Tests included real-time qPCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 antigens, ELISA for antibodies, and plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNT) for neutralizing antibodies. As a result, SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA was detected in 2 cats out of 1018 pets (672 dogs and 346 cats). A total of 16 dogs (2.38%) and 18 cats (5.20%) tested positive using ELISA, and 14 dogs (2.08%) and 17 cats (4.91%) tested positive using PRNT. Antigens of- and/or antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were detected in the animals regardless of whether the companion family was infected; this was the case even in animal shelters, which have been regarded as relatively safe from transmission. In conclusion, continuous viral circulation between humans and animals is inevitable; therefore, continuous monitoring in animals is required.

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“…Previous literature has shown that animals do not play a major role in spreading the virus to people (zoonotic transmission), although low-level animal-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has been documented at mink farms and in encounters with white-tailed deer, cats, and lions [6][7][8][9]. Zoonotic transmission and changes in virus variants can be better investigated using early and sustained animal surveillance [10,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Infection among Companion Animals in Households with Confirmed Human COVID-19 Cases

Venkat,

Yaglom,

Hecht

et al. 2024

Pathogens

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We aimed to characterize SARS-CoV-2 infection in companion animals living in households with COVID-19-positive people and understand the dynamics surrounding how these animals become infected. Public health investigators contacted households with at least one confirmed, symptomatic person with COVID-19 for study recruitment. Blood, nasal, and rectal swab specimens were collected from pet dogs and cats and a questionnaire was completed. Specimens were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR, and for neutralizing antibodies; genomic sequencing was performed on viral-positive samples. A total of 36.4% of 110 pets enrolled had evidence of infection with SARS-CoV-2. Pets were more likely to test positive if the pet was immunocompromised, and if more than one person in the home was positive for COVID-19. Among 12 multi-pet households where at least one pet was positive, 10 had at least one other pet test positive. Whole-genome sequencing revealed the genomes of viral lineages circulating in the community during the time of sample collection. Our findings suggest a high likelihood of viral transmission in households with multiple pets and when pets had very close interactions with symptomatic humans. Further surveillance studies are needed to characterize how new variants impact animals and to understand opportunities for infection and spillover in susceptible species.

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The role of pets in SARS-CoV-2 transmission: an exploratory analysis

Cited by 7 publications

References 10 publications

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

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

Evidence of Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in Dogs and Cats from Households and Animal Shelters in Korea

Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Infection among Companion Animals in Households with Confirmed Human COVID-19 Cases

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