Severe SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Cat with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Francisco R. Carvallo,
Mathias Martins,
Lok R. Joshi,
Leonardo C. Caserta,
Patrick K. Mitchell,
Thomas Cecere,
Sandy Hancock,
Erin L. Goodrich,
Julia Murphy,
Diego G. Diel
Affiliations
Francisco R. Carvallo
Department of Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
Mathias Martins
Animal Health Diagnostic Center, Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, 240 Farrier Rd., AHDC A3-114, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
Lok R. Joshi
Animal Health Diagnostic Center, Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, 240 Farrier Rd., AHDC A3-114, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
Leonardo C. Caserta
Animal Health Diagnostic Center, Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, 240 Farrier Rd., AHDC A3-114, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
Patrick K. Mitchell
Animal Health Diagnostic Center, Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, 240 Farrier Rd., AHDC A3-114, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
Thomas Cecere
Department of Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
Sandy Hancock
Laboratory for Neurotoxicity Studies, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
Erin L. Goodrich
Animal Health Diagnostic Center, Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, 240 Farrier Rd., AHDC A3-114, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
Julia Murphy
Virginia Department of Health, Division of Surveillance and Investigation, Richmond, VA 23218, USA
Diego G. Diel
Animal Health Diagnostic Center, Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, 240 Farrier Rd., AHDC A3-114, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), has claimed millions of human lives worldwide since the emergence of the zoonotic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in China in December 2019. Notably, most severe and fatal SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans have been associated with underlying clinical conditions, including diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases. Here, we describe a case of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection in a domestic cat (Felis catus) that presented with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a chronic heart condition that has been described as a comorbidity of COVID-19 in humans and that is prevalent in domestic cats. The lung and heart of the affected cat presented clear evidence of SARS-CoV-2 replication, with histological lesions similar to those observed in humans with COVID-19 with high infectious viral loads being recovered from these organs. The study highlights the potential impact of comorbidities on the outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection in animals and provides important information that may contribute to the development of a feline model with the potential to recapitulate the clinical outcomes of severe COVID-19 in humans.
