SARS-CoV-2 transmission from infected owner to household dogs and cats is associated with food sharing

International Journal of Infectious Diseases

卷:122

Ariana Leon-Sosa¹  Joselyn L. Calderon²  Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain³  Clara Tello-Cabrera⁴  Jose Julian Zuñiga-Velarde⁴  Pamela Valencia⁴  Maria Daniela Mera⁴  Leandro Patiño⁵  Lisette D. Pasquel-Villa⁵  David O. Rugel-Gonzalez⁵  Solon Alberto-Orlando⁵  Melissa N. Zambrano-Alvarado⁵  Dayana Flores⁶ 

[1] Corresponding authors.;

[2] Universidad Espiritu Santo, Guayaquil, Ecuador;

[3] Clínica Veterinaria Dr. Pet, Guayaquil, Ecuador;

[4] Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Agraria del Ecuador, Guayaquil, Ecuador;

[5] Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Salud Publica, Dirección Investigación Desarrollo e Innovación, Guayaquil, Ecuador;

[6] Ministerio de Salud Pública del Ecuador, Distrito Pascuales 2, Guayaquil, Ecuador;

关键词: SARS-CoV-2;    Cats;    Dogs;    Pets;    Food sharing;    Risk factors;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Objectives: Several cases of reverse transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from human to pets were reported during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, the World Organization for Animal Health has recommended to improve SARS-CoV-2 surveillance on household animals to assess the risk of transmission between species. After such recommendation, we studied the potential SARS-CoV-2 infection in household dogs and cats in the city of Guayaquil, the most populated city in Ecuador. Methods: Oral and nasal swab samples were collected from dogs and cats within 10 days of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result of their owners. Total ribonucleic acid was extracted and detection of viral gene targets N and ORF1ab was performed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: From the 50 cats and dogs tested, 12 were SARS-CoV-2 positive, giving a total positivity rate of 24%. A total of 1 of 8 cats tested positive, whereas 11 of 42 dogs were positive, yielding a positivity rate of 12.5% and 26.2%, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 was confirmed by whole genome sequencing. In addition, we also found a statistically significant association between SARS-CoV-2 pet positivity and food sharing with infected owners. Conclusion: This study is the second active surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in household dogs and cats in Latin America. Moreover, it is the first study to address the risk factors associated with potential anthropogenic SARS-CoV-2 transmission to domestic cats and dogs. Given the high presence of free-roaming dogs and cats in rural and urban areas in Latin American countries and the high capacity shown by coronaviruses for interspecies transmission, our findings support the view that SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in pets is necessary to better understand the role that pet-human interaction plays in the COVID-19 spread.

【 授权许可】

Unknown