OmniVira

SARS-CoV-2 Seroconversion in an Adult Horse with Direct Contact to a COVID-19 Individual.

Nicola Pusterla1 Antoine Chaillon2 Caroline Ignacio2 Davey M Smith2 Samantha Barnum1 Kaila O Y Lawton1 Greg Smith3 Bradley Pickering3
Affiliations 3 institutions
  1. Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
  2. Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
  3. National Center for Foreign Animal Disease, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3M4, Canada.
PMID35632788 DOI10.3390/v14051047 Year2022 Journal Viruses Languageeng Statusepublish

Abstract

The authors report on a possible direct exposure to SARS-CoV-2 from a COVID-19-positive individual to an adult horse. The individual, diagnosed with COVID-19 (Delta B.1.617.2), had daily contact to her two horses prior to and during the development of clinical disease. None of the two horses developed abnormal clinical signs or had detectable SARS-CoV-2 in blood, nasal secretion, or feces via RT-qPCR. However, one of the two horses showed close temporal seroconversion to SARS-CoV-2 using a protein-based ELISA and the plaque reduction neutralization test. The results suggest that horses can become silently infected with SARS-CoV-2 following close contact with humans infected with SARS-CoV-2. As a precautionary measure, humans infected with SARS-CoV-2 should avoid close contact with equids and other companion animals during the time of their illness to prevent viral transmission.

Supporting text Virus Host Location
antibodies 18 COVID-19 467 horse 5 SARS-CoV-2 550 spillover 105 COVID-19 425 SARS-CoV-2 453 Animals 1948 Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay 36 Female 289 Horses 52 Seroconversion 7 SARS-CoV-2 variants 86

Evidence records

3 total
Zoonotic Surveillance
3 records · 2 evidence types
Evidence type Viral Detection
1 records
OVE6001 Viral Detection
Key finding

RT‑qPCR testing did not detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in blood, nasal secretion, or feces collected from two horses exposed to a COVID‑19–positive owner.

Virus
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Host
horse Equus caballus Natural host
Location
Not specified
Supporting text

None of the two horses developed abnormal clinical signs or had detectable SARS-CoV-2 in blood, nasal secretion, or feces via RT-qPCR.

Method
RT-qPCR
Sample type
blood | nasal secretion | feces
Evidence type Serological Evidence
2 records
OVE5999 Serological Evidence
Key finding

One of two horses showed seroconversion to SARS-CoV-2 detected by ELISA and neutralization test.

Virus
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Host
horse Equus caballus Natural host
Location
Not specified
Supporting text

One of the two horses showed close temporal seroconversion to SARS-CoV-2 using a protein-based ELISA and the plaque reduction neutralization test.

Method
protein-based ELISA | plaque reduction neutralization test
Sample type
serum
OVE6000 Serological Evidence
Key finding

Seroconversion in a horse following close contact with a COVID-19-positive human indicates a possible human-to-horse SARS-CoV-2 spillback event.

Virus
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Host
human Homo sapiens Natural host horse Equus caballus Natural host
Location
Not specified
Supporting text

One of the two horses showed close temporal seroconversion to SARS-CoV-2 using a protein-based ELISA and plaque reduction neutralization test after daily contact with a COVID-19-positive individual.

Method
protein-based ELISA | plaque reduction neutralization test | RT-qPCR