Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
SARS-CoV-2 infection and exposure in cats and dogs in Romania
By Cozma, Andreea Paula et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2025·Department of Exact Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: SARS-CoV-2 infection and exposure in cats and dogs in Romania.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study in Romania found that some cats and dogs living with COVID-19 positive owners tested positive for the virus. One cat had SARS-CoV-2 detected in its throat swab ten days after its owner got sick, while another cat showed signs of past infection without current viral presence. About 12.5% of cats and 7.2% of dogs had antibodies against the virus, indicating they had been exposed. However, there’s no evidence that pets can spread the virus back to humans; they seem to be incidental hosts.
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Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 has been described in more than 54 animal species, including wildlife, zoo animals and livestock. In the present study, conducted during 2021 and 2022 at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine from Iasi, Romania, we studied the anthropogenic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to pets by investigating active or prior infections of cats ( = 41) and dogs ( = 99) from the households of owners with confirmed COVID-19. Tests on an oropharyngeal swab from one cat revealed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA 10 days after the onset of COVID-19 in its owner and another cat displayed SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion 15 days after the onset of COVID-19 in its owner but without the detection of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in its follow-up samples. Anti-N antibodies were detected in 7.2% ( = 7) of dogs and 12.5% ( = 5) of cats. All the seropositive cats were found to have SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) whereas only 42.9% ( = 3) of dogs displayed specific NAbs. These results are consistent with global reports, confirming the cross-species transmission of SARS-CoV-2. However, there is no evidence to suggest that companion animals are involved in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to humans rather than simply being accidental hosts. Nevertheless, we describe several cases of potential anthropogenic infections during the pre-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant era.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41234400/