First Detection of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant of Concern in a Symptomatic Cat in Spain

Natural and experimental SARS-CoV-2 infection in pets has been widely evidenced since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the numerous affected animals, cats are one of the most susceptible species. However, little is known about viral pathogenicity and transmissibility in the case of vari...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inFrontiers in veterinary science Vol. 9; p. 841430
Main Authors Barroso-Arévalo, Sandra, Sánchez-Morales, Lidia, Pérez-Sancho, Marta, Domínguez, Lucas, Sánchez-Vizcaíno, José M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 01.04.2022
Subjects
cats
delta variant
pet
SARS-CoV-2
transmission
Veterinary Science
SARS-CoV-2
cats
transmission
delta variant
pet
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Natural and experimental SARS-CoV-2 infection in pets has been widely evidenced since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the numerous affected animals, cats are one of the most susceptible species. However, little is known about viral pathogenicity and transmissibility in the case of variants of concern (VOCs) in animal hosts, such as the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant first detected in India. Here, we have identified the B.1.617.2 (Delta) VOC in a cat living with a COVID-19 positive owner. The animal presented mild symptoms (sneezing) and a high viral load was detected in the oropharyngeal swab, suggesting that an active infection was occurring in the upper respiratory tract of the cat. Transmission from the owner to the cat occurred despite the human being fully vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. This study documents the first detection of B.1.165.2 VOC in a cat in Spain and emphasizes the importance of performing active surveillance and genomic investigation on infected animals.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
This article was submitted to Veterinary Infectious Diseases, a section of the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Reviewed by: Pranav Pandit, University of California, Davis, United States; Richard Johnathan Orton, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
Edited by: Yogesh Chander, Varigen Biosciences Corporation, United States
ISSN:2297-1769
2297-1769
DOI:10.3389/fvets.2022.841430