Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant Found in Dog in Kansas
By Doerksen, Tyler et al.·Published in Viruses·2021·College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Near-Complete Genome of SARS-CoV-2 Delta (AY.3) Variant Identified in a Dog in Kansas, USA.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old Collie in Kansas was found to have a variant of the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) after living with owners who tested positive for the virus. While it's not clear if the dog showed any symptoms related to the infection or if it was due to other health issues, the virus was sequenced and showed unique changes that could help it adapt from humans to dogs. This case highlights the need for monitoring and understanding how COVID-19 variants can affect pets.
People also search for: dog COVID-19 symptoms · Collie with COVID-19 · can dogs get coronavirus · dog respiratory issues · COVID-19 in pets
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) descriptions of infection and transmission have been increasing in companion animals in the past year. Although canine susceptibility is generally considered low, their role in the COVID-19 disease cycle remains unknown. In this study, we detected and sequenced a delta variant (AY.3) from a 12-year-old Collie living with owners that previously tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. It is unclear if the dogs' symptoms were related to SARS-CoV-2 infection or underlying conditions. The whole genome sequence obtained from the dog sample had several unique consensus level changes not previously identified in a SARS-CoV-2 genome that may play a role in the rapid adaptation from humans to dogs. Within the spike coding region, 5/7 of the subconsensus variants identified in the dog sequence were also identified in the closest in-house human reference case. Taken together, the whole genome sequence, and phylogenetic and subconsensus variant analyses indicate the virus infecting the animal originated from a local outbreak cluster. The results of these analyses emphasize the importance of rapid detection and characterization of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in companion animals.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34696534/