Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How canine influenza H3N2 spreads between dogs, cats, and ferrets
By Kim, Hyekwon et al.·Published in Influenza and other respiratory viruses·2013·Department of Veterinary Medicine Virology Lab, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Inter- and intraspecies transmission of canine influenza virus (H3N2) in dogs, cats, and ferrets.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that a dog infected with the canine influenza virus (CIV) H3N2 can spread the virus to cats through the air, but not to ferrets. When cats or ferrets were directly infected with the virus, they showed signs of illness similar to the flu, including coughing and sneezing. However, ferrets are not likely to be natural hosts for this virus. This research highlights that while dogs can transmit the virus to cats, ferrets do not seem to be affected in the same way.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: The emergence of zoonotic viruses in domestic animals is a significant public health concern. Canine influenza virus (CIV) H3N2 is a virus that can infect companion animals and is, therefore, a potential public health concern. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the inter- and intraspecies transmission of CIV among dogs, cats, and ferrets, under laboratory conditions, to determine whether transmission of the virus was possible between as well as within these domestic animal species. METHOD: The transmission routes for inter- and intraspecies transmission were airborne and direct contact, respectively. Transmission was conducted through intranasal infection of dogs followed by exposure to either cats or ferrets and by comingling infected and naïve animals of the same species. RESULTS: The interspecies transmission of CIV H3N2 via airborne was only observed from dogs to cats and not from dogs to ferrets. However, direct intranasal infection of either cats or ferrets with CIV could induce influenza-like clinical signs, viral shedding, and serological responses. Additionally, naïve cats and ferrets could be infected by CIV via direct contact with infected animals of the same species. CONCLUSION: Cats appear to be another susceptible host of CIV H3N2, whereas ferrets are not likely natural hosts. The molecular-based mechanism of interspecies and intraspecies transmission of CIV H3N2 should be further studied.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22616918/