Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
SARS-CoV-2 antibodies found in stray dogs and cats in Rio de Janeiro
By Dias, Helver Gonçalves et al.·Published in PloS one·2021·Laborató, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Neutralizing antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 in stray animals from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Plain-English summary
A stray cat and a stray dog in Rio de Janeiro tested positive for antibodies against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, indicating they had been exposed to the virus. Researchers collected samples from 96 animals, including both owned and stray pets, and found that while none showed active infection, the presence of antibodies in these two animals suggests they had encountered the virus at some point. This study highlights that even pets without direct contact with infected humans can be exposed to SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic.
People also search for: stray dog COVID-19 exposure · cat coronavirus antibodies · pet safety during COVID-19
Abstract
The epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel Betacoronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) became a public health emergency worldwide. Few reports indicate that owned pets from households with at least one human resident that was diagnosed with COVID-19 can be infected by SARS-CoV-2. However, the exposure to SARS-CoV-2 of pets from households with no COVID-19 cases or stray animals remains less assessed. Using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT90), we investigated the infection and previous exposure of dogs and cats to SARS-CoV-2 during the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. From June to August 2020, 96 animals were sampled, including 49 cats (40 owned and 9 stray) and 47 dogs (42 owned and 5 stray). Regarding owned pets, 75.6% (62/82) belonged to households with no COVID-19 cases. Samples included serum, and rectal and oropharyngeal swabs. All swabs were negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, but serum samples of a stray cat and a stray dog presented neutralizing antibodies for SARS-CoV-2, with PRNT90 titer of 80 and 40, respectively. Serological data presented here suggest that not only owned pets from households with COVID19 cases, but also stray animals are being exposed to SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33765012/