Pet Animals Were Infected with SARS-CoV-2 from Their Owners Who Developed COVID-19: Case Series Study

• Published in: Viruses Vol. 15; no. 10; p. 2028
• Main Authors: Kuroda, Yudai, Watanabe, Kei, Yamamoto, Tsukasa, Suzuki, Hiroki, Park, Eun-sil, Ishijima, Keita, Tatemoto, Kango, Virhuez-Mendoza, Milagros, Inoue, Yusuke, Harada, Michiko, Nishino, Ayano, Sekizuka, Tsuyoshi, Kuroda, Makoto, Fujimoto, Tsuguto, Ishihara, Genki, Horie, Ryo, Kawamoto, Kosuke, Maeda, Ken
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 29.09.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Antibodies; Cats; Communication; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 infection; Disease transmission; Dogs; genes; Genomes; Genomics; Health aspects; Human-animal relationships; Medical research; N gene; neutralization tests; Pets; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; viral genome; Viruses; Japan; United States > US
• ISSN: 1999-4915; 1999-4915
• DOI: 10.3390/v15102028

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among pets owned by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients has been reported around the world. However, how often the animals are exposed to SARS-CoV-2 by their owners is still unclear. We have collected swab samples from COVID-19 patients’ pets and performed real-time RT-PCR to detect the viral genome. In total, 8 of 53 dogs (15.1%) and 5 of 34 cats (14.7%) tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 N gene. The result of a virus neutralization (VN) test also showed VN antibodies in four cats and six dogs. Our results indicate that the virus often passed from infected owners to their pets, which then excreted the virus despite having no or mild clinical signs.