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SARS-CoV-2 in domestic cats (Felis catus) in the northwest of Iran: Evidence for SARS-CoV-2 circulating between human and cats.

Mehdi Mohebali1,2 Gholamreza Hassanpour2 Mohammad Zainali3 Mohammad Mehdi Gouya4 Simin Khayatzadeh5 Mehdi Parsaei5 Nazila Sarafraz5 Mehdi Hassanzadeh5 Amrollah Azarm6 Mostafa Salehi-Vaziri7 Farhang Sasani8 Zahra Heidari9 Tahmineh Jalali7 Mohammad Hassan Pouriayevali7 Zabihollah Shoja7 Zahra Ahmadi7 Marzieh Sadjadi7 Mahsa Tavakoli7 Sanam Azad-Manjiri7 Chiman Karami9 Zabihollah Zarei10
Affiliations 10 institutions
  1. Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  2. Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
  3. Department of Zoonoses, Center of Communicable Diseases Management, Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran.
  4. Center of Communicable diseases management, Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran.
  5. Province Health Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
  6. Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
  7. COVID-19 National Refernce Laboratoty, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
  8. Department of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
  9. Department of Microbiology, Parasitology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.
  10. Meshkin-Shahr Research Station, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID 34998863 2022 Virus Res eng ppublish
PubMed DOI Browse context

Article

Publication summary

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of COVID-19 in domestic cats, focusing on the disease in the northwest of Iran and then showing the natural transmission of SARS-COV-2 circulating between domestic cats and humans. After receiving ethic codes from Tehran University of Medical Sciences (IR.TUMS.VCR.REC.1399.303) and confirmed by the Center of Communicable Diseases Control (CDC) of Iran, 124 domestic cats were collected from the homes and only one hospital of Meshkin -Shahr district from northwestern Iran where SARS-CoV-2 patients were hospitalized and quarantined during 2020. Samples were prepared from fluid materials of oropharynx and nasopharynx. All samples were tested by real-time PCR (RT-PCR) using specific genes N and ORF1ab in Pasteur Institute of Iran, and then partial sequence analyses of S gene were performed. All collected cats were kept in separated cages until SARS-COV-2 infection was confirmed with the RT-PCR. RT- PCR Ct values of 123 collected cats were ≥40; thus, all of them showed negative results, but one of the collected cats with close contact with its owner, whom confirmed SARS-CoV-2 showed positive results with gene N(Ct=30) and gene ORF1ab (Ct=32). Furthermore, the positive pet cat showed respiratory and gastro-intestinal clinical manifestations, and its owner was infected with SARS-CoV-2 two weeks ago. Cats are susceptible animals to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Epidemiological evidence showed that SARS-COV-2 is able to transmit to healthy cats due to having close contact with its owner as a reverse zoonosis.

COVID-19 Domestic cat Human Iran Transmission Cats COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 Animals Humans Iran Nasopharynx Oropharynx Pets Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction

Structured evidence records

Evidence records

2 total
Spillover Event 1 records
Spillover Event Extraction confidence 0.95
Key finding

A domestic cat in Iran tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after close contact with an infected owner, indicating human-to-cat transmission.

Virus
SARS-CoV-2
Location
Iran, Islamic Republic of northwest of Iran, Iran, Islamic Republic of
Supporting text

One of the collected cats with close contact with its owner, whom confirmed SARS-CoV-2, showed positive results with gene N(Ct=30) and gene ORF1ab (Ct=32). Epidemiological evidence showed that SARS-CoV-2 is able to transmit to healthy cats due to having close contact with its owner as a reverse zoonosis.

Method
RT-PCR; sequencing
Study design
field surveillance
Transmission direction
human-to-animal
Geographic raw
northwest of Iran
Country inferred
Iran
Zoonotic Surveillance 1 records
Zoonotic Surveillance Extraction confidence 0.95
Key finding

Surveillance of 124 domestic cats in northwestern Iran detected one SARS-CoV-2–positive cat via RT-PCR, indicating possible human-to-cat transmission.

Virus
SARS-CoV-2
Location
Iran, Islamic Republic of northwest of Iran, Iran, Islamic Republic of
Supporting text

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of COVID-19 in domestic cats, focusing on the disease in the northwest of Iran ... 124 domestic cats were collected ... All samples were tested by real-time PCR (RT-PCR) using specific genes N and ORF1ab ... one of the collected cats with close contact with its owner ... showed positive results.

Method
real-time PCR (RT-PCR); partial sequence analysis of S gene
Sample type
oropharyngeal fluid; nasopharyngeal fluid
Geographic raw
northwest of Iran
Country inferred
Iran