OmniVira

Frequent Infection of Cats With SARS-CoV-2 Irrespective of Pre-Existing Enzootic Coronavirus Immunity, Brazil 2020.

Edmilson F de Oliveira-Filho1 Otávio V de Carvalho2 Ianei O Carneiro3 Fagner D'ambroso Fernandes4 Sara Nunes Vaz5 Célia Pedroso5 Lilian Gonzalez-Auza1 Victor Carvalho Urbieta1 Arne Kühne1 Rafaela Mayoral3 Wendy K Jo1 Andrés Moreira-Soto1 Chantal B E M Reusken6 Christian Drosten1 Carlos Brites5 Klaus Osterrieder7 Eduardo Martins Netto5 Luiz Eduardo Ristow2 Rita de Cassia Maia8 Fernanda S Flores Vogel4 Nadia Rossi de Almeida3 Carlos Roberto Franke3 Jan Felix Drexler1,9
Affiliations 9 institutions
  1. Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
  2. Tecsa Laboratorios, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
  3. School of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechny, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
  4. Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil.
  5. Disease Research Laboratory, University Hospital Professor Edgard Santos, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
  6. Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands.
  7. Institut für Virologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
  8. Veterinary Medicine Department, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
  9. German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Associated Partner Site Charité, Berlin, Germany.
PMID35450070 DOI10.3389/fimmu.2022.857322 Year2022 Journal Frontiers in immunology Front Immunol Languageeng Statusepublish

Abstract

Carnivores such as cats and minks are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. Brazil is a global COVID-19 hot spot and several cases of human-to-cat transmission have been documented. We investigated the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by testing 547 domestic cats sampled between July-November 2020 from seven states in southern, southeastern, and northeastern Brazil. Moreover, we investigated whether immune responses elicited by enzootic coronaviruses affect SARS-CoV-2 infection in cats. We found infection with significantly higher neutralizing antibody titers against the Gamma variant of concern, endemic in Brazil during 2020, than against an early SARS-CoV-2 B.1 isolate (p<0.0001), validating the use of Gamma for further testing. The overall SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Brazilian cats during late 2020 validated by plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT90) was 7.3% (95% CI, 5.3-9.8). There was no significant difference in SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in cats between Brazilian states, suggesting homogeneous infection levels ranging from 4.6% (95% CI, 2.2-8.4) to 11.4% (95% CI, 6.7-17.4; p=0.4438). Seroprevalence of the prototypic cat coronavirus Feline coronavirus (FCoV) in a PRNT90 was high at 33.3% (95% CI, 24.9-42.5) and seroprevalence of Bovine coronavirus (BCoV) was low at 1.7% (95% CI, 0.2-5.9) in a PRNT90. Neutralizing antibody titers were significantly lower for FCoV than for SARS-CoV-2 (p=0.0001), consistent with relatively more recent infection of cats with SARS-CoV-2. Neither the magnitude of SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers (p=0.6390), nor SARS-CoV-2 infection status were affected by FCoV serostatus (p=0.8863). Our data suggest that pre-existing immunity against enzootic coronaviruses neither prevents, nor enhances SARS-CoV-2 infection in cats. High SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence already during the first year of the pandemic substantiates frequent infection of domestic cats and raises concerns on potential SARS-CoV-2 mutations escaping human immunity upon spillback.

Supporting text Virus Host Location
cats (felis catus) 1 coronavirus 195 cross-reactivity 2 SARS-CoV-2 550 serology 50 zoonosis 116 COVID-19 425 SARS-CoV-2 453 Animals 1948 Antibodies, Neutralizing 80 Brazil 50 Cats 120 Cattle 126 Seroepidemiologic Studies 113 SARS-CoV-2 variants 86

Evidence records

4 total
Zoonotic Surveillance
4 records · 1 evidence types
Evidence type Serological Evidence
4 records
OVE5872 Serological Evidence
Key finding

A 7.3% seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies was detected in domestic cats in Brazil during late 2020 using a PRNT90 assay.

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

The overall SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Brazilian cats during late 2020 validated by plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT90) was 7.3% (95% CI, 5.3-9.8).

Method
plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT90)
Sample type
serum
OVE5873 Serological Evidence
Key finding

A 33.3% seroprevalence of Feline coronavirus (FCoV) antibodies was observed in cats tested by PRNT90.

Virus
Feline coronavirus
Host
domestic cat Felis catus Natural host
Location
Not specified
Supporting text

Seroprevalence of the prototypic cat coronavirus Feline coronavirus (FCoV) in a PRNT90 was high at 33.3% (95% CI, 24.9-42.5).

Method
plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT90)
Sample type
serum
OVE5874 Serological Evidence
Key finding

A 1.7% seroprevalence of Bovine coronavirus (BCoV) antibodies was detected in cats by PRNT90.

Virus
Bovine coronavirus
Host
domestic cat Felis catus Natural host
Location
Not specified
Supporting text

Seroprevalence of Bovine coronavirus (BCoV) was low at 1.7% (95% CI, 0.2-5.9) in a PRNT90.

Method
plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT90)
Sample type
serum
OVE5875 Serological Evidence
Key finding

Human-to-cat transmission of SARS-CoV-2 occurred in Brazil during 2020, as domestic cats were found infected in multiple states.

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

Brazil is a global COVID-19 hot spot and several cases of human-to-cat transmission have been documented. High SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence already during the first year of the pandemic substantiates frequent infection of domestic cats and raises concerns on potential SARS-CoV-2 mutations escaping human immunity upon spillback.

Method
serological testing | plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT90)