Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cats and dogs can catch and spread H9N2 bird flu virus
By Zhang, Kun et al.·Published in Virus research·2013·Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, China·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Domestic cats and dogs are susceptible to H9N2 avian influenza virus.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that domestic cats and dogs can get infected with the H9N2 avian influenza virus, which could potentially pose a risk to humans. When cats were exposed to the virus, they showed signs of infection by shedding the virus from their noses for up to ten days. Dogs also tested positive for the virus in their respiratory tissues but did not shed it in their nasal secretions. Overall, the research indicates that cats are more susceptible to this virus than dogs.
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Abstract
Replication and transmission of avian influenza virus (AIV) in domestic dogs and cats may pose a risk to humans. The susceptibility of cats and dogs to H9N2 influenza virus was evaluated by intranasally or orally inoculating animals with an H9N2 influenza virus. Cats had recoverable virus in respiratory tissues and the olfactory bulb three days post-inoculation and shed H9N2 virus into nasal washes and pharyngeal swabs from day 2 through day 10 post-inoculation. Virus was recovered from respiratory tissues of dogs three days post-inoculation, but was not detected in nasal washes or pharyngeal swabs. While no virus shedding or replication was detected in cats or dogs following consumption of H9N2-infected chicks, one of two cats and one of two dogs seroconverted. Two of three naïve contact cats seroconverted following co-housing with cats that were intranasally inoculated with H9N2 virus, whereas none of the three naïve contact dogs seroconverted. Our results demonstrate that H9N2 AIV can infect domestic cats and dogs via the upper respiratory tract and indicate that cats are more susceptible than dogs to H9N2 AIV. These findings suggest that domestic dogs and cats may serve as host species contributing to the adaptation of H9N2 viruses in mammals.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23603563/