Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for COVID-19 in people, has been detected in companion animals on rare occasions. A limited number of large-scale studies have investigated the exposure of companion animals to SARS-CoV-2. The objective of this prospective study was to estimate seroprevalence in privately owned dogs and cats presented in veterinary clinics in different French regions and to test the hypothesis that the occurrence of an episode of COVID-19 in the household and close contact with the owner would increase the chances of the animals being seropositive. One hundred and sixty-five dogs and 143 cats were blood-sampled between March 2020 and December 2021. Neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were detected in 8.4% of cats (12/143) and 5.4% of dogs (9/165). Seven animals (three dogs and four cats) were seropositive in the absence of an episode of COVID-19 in the household. Despite not being statistically significant (chi-square test, p -value = 0.55), our data may suggest that the occurrence of an episode of COVID-19 in the household could increase the risk of animal seropositivity (odds ratio = 1.38; 95% confidence interval = 0.55-3.77). This survey indirectly shows that SARS-CoV-2 circulates in canine and feline populations, but its circulation appears to be too low for pets to act as a significant viral reservoir.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; cat; dog; epidemiology; risk factors; serology; survey.
【저자키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Risk factors, serology, Epidemiology, dog, cat, survey., 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, Risk factors, serology, Prospective Study, Seroprevalence, risk, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus, clinics, Severe acute respiratory syndrome, Region, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, SARS-CoV-2 antibody, household, cats, animals, Seropositivity, canine, circulation, seropositive, Coronavirus-2, Hypothesis, close contact, Odds ratio, Viral reservoir, contact with, episode of, chi-square test, acute respiratory syndrome, acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, 95% confidence interval, P -value, neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, French, episode, populations, Occurrence, responsible, investigated, appear, absence, statistically significant, would increase, 【제목키워드】 survey, Prospective, France, Factor,