SARS-CoV-2 emerged from animals and is now easily transmitted between people. Sporadic detection of natural cases in animals alongside successful experimental infections of pets, such as cats, ferrets and dogs, raises questions about the susceptibility of animals under natural conditions of pet ownership. Here, we report a large-scale study to assess SARS-CoV-2 infection in 919 companion animals living in northern Italy, sampled at a time of frequent human infection. No animals tested PCR positive. However, 3.3% of dogs and 5.8% of cats had measurable SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titers, with dogs from COVID-19 positive households being significantly more likely to test positive than those from COVID-19 negative households. Understanding risk factors associated with this and their potential to infect other species requires urgent investigation. SARS-CoV-2 can infect cats and dogs, but the extent to which pets are infected in households remains unclear. Here, Patterson et al. test 919 companion animals in northern Italy and find that some dogs and cats from COVID-19 positive households can test positive for COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies, with dogs significantly more likely to do so if they came from COVID-19 positive households.
【저자키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Humoral immunity, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, Risk factors, Neutralizing antibodies, SARS-COV-2 infection, susceptibility, Infection, Italy, risk factor, cats, animals, ferret, Households, understanding, Antibody titers, SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody, PCR positive, neutralizing antibody titers, human infection, ferrets, positive, infect, urgent investigation, raise, tested, significantly more, transmitted, condition, question, COVID-19 negative, 【제목키워드】 Italy, evidence of,