Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
SARS-CoV-2 antibodies found in some UK dogs and cats during 2020-2021
By Shirley L. Smith et al.·Published in bioRxiv·2021·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: SARS-CoV-2 neutralising antibodies in dogs and cats in the United Kingdom
Plain-English summary
A large study in the UK found that a small number of dogs and cats tested positive for antibodies against the virus that causes COVID-19. Specifically, 1.4% of dogs and 2.2% of cats had these antibodies during the second wave of infections in humans, while none tested positive before the pandemic or during the first wave. This suggests that while pets can get infected, they are not likely to spread the virus to humans significantly. Ongoing monitoring of pets is recommended to keep track of any potential infections.
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Abstract
Companion animals are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and sporadic cases of pet infections have occurred in the United Kingdom. Here we present the first large-scale serological survey of SARS-CoV-2 neutralising antibodies in dogs and cats in the UK. Results are reported for 688 sera (454 canine, 234 feline) collected by a large veterinary diagnostic laboratory for routine haematology during three time periods; pre-COVID-19 (January 2020), during the first wave of UK human infections (April-May 2020) and during the second wave of UK human infections (September 2020-February 2021). Both pre-COVID-19 sera and those from the first wave tested negative. However, in sera collected during the second wave, 1.4% (n=4) of dogs and 2.2% (n=2) cats tested positive for neutralising antibodies. The low numbers of animals testing positive suggests pet animals are unlikely to be a major reservoir for human infection in the UK. However, continued surveillance of in-contact susceptible animals should be performed as part of ongoing population health surveillance initiatives.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/34377997