OmniVira

Household Cases Suggest That Cats Belonging to Owners with COVID-19 Have a Limited Role in Virus Transmission.

Pierre Bessière1 Maxime Fusade-Boyer1 Mathilda Walch1 Laetitia Lèbre1 Jessie Brun2 Guillaume Croville1 Séverine Boullier3 Marie-Christine Cadiergues2,4 Jean-Luc Guérin1
Affiliations 4 institutions
  1. IHAP, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, 31300 Toulouse, France.
  2. Small Animal Clinic, Université de Toulouse, ENVT, 31300 Toulouse, France.
  3. InTheRes, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, 31300 Toulouse, France.
  4. Infinity, Université de Toulouse, INSERM, CNRS, UT3, ENVT, 31300 Toulouse, France.
PMID33919936 DOI10.3390/v13040673 Year2021 Journal Viruses Languageeng Statusepublish

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for COVID-19 and spread rapidly following its emergence in Wuhan in 2019. Although cats are, among other domestic animals, susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, little is known about their epidemiological role in the dynamics of a household infection. In this study, we monitored five cats for viral shedding daily. Each cat was confined with its COVID-19 positive owners in separate households. Low loads of viral nucleic acid were found in two cats, but only one developed anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, which suggests that cats have a limited role in COVID-19 epidemiology.

Supporting text Virus Host Location
cats 133 COVID-19 467 reverse-zoonosis 1 Animals 1948 Animals, Domestic 35 Antibodies, Neutralizing 80 Cat Diseases 67 Cats 120 Chlorocebus aethiops 70 COVID-19 425 Disease Susceptibility 21 Humans 1440 Male 224 Phylogeny 805 SARS-CoV-2 453 Vero Cells 55 Viral Zoonoses 65 Virus Shedding 51 Whole Genome Sequencing 32

Evidence records

3 total
Zoonotic Surveillance
2 records · 2 evidence types
Evidence type Viral Detection
1 records
OVE4753 Viral Detection
Key finding

SARS-CoV-2 viral nucleic acid was detected at low levels in two household cats living with COVID-19 positive owners.

Virus
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Host
domestic cat Felis catus Natural host
Location
Not specified
Supporting text

Low loads of viral nucleic acid were found in two cats, but only one developed anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

Method
viral nucleic acid detection
Sample type
daily monitored specimens
Evidence type Serological Evidence
1 records
OVE4754 Serological Evidence
Key finding

One of the monitored cats developed anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, indicating prior exposure to the virus.

Virus
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Host
domestic cat Felis catus Natural host
Location
Not specified
Supporting text

Low loads of viral nucleic acid were found in two cats, but only one developed anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, which suggests that cats have a limited role in COVID-19 epidemiology.

Method
antibody detection
Sample type
serum
Transmission Evidence
1 records · 1 evidence types
Evidence type Cross-species Transmission
1 records
OVE4755 Cross-species Transmission
Key finding

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in cats confined with COVID-19 positive owners indicates a natural human-to-cat spillback event within households.

Virus
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Host
domestic cat Felis catus Natural host human Homo sapiens Natural host
Location
households
Supporting text

Each cat was confined with its COVID-19 positive owners in separate households. Low loads of viral nucleic acid were found in two cats.

Method
viral nucleic acid detection | serological testing
Study design
household observational study
Transmission direction
human-to-animal
Geographic raw
households