Viruses
(Sep 2023)
Pet Animals Were Infected with SARS-CoV-2 from Their Owners Who Developed COVID-19: Case Series Study
Yudai Kuroda,
Kei Watanabe,
Tsukasa Yamamoto,
Hiroki Suzuki,
Eun-sil Park,
Keita Ishijima,
Kango Tatemoto,
Milagros Virhuez-Mendoza,
Yusuke Inoue,
Michiko Harada,
Ayano Nishino,
Tsuyoshi Sekizuka,
Makoto Kuroda,
Tsuguto Fujimoto,
Genki Ishihara,
Ryo Horie,
Kosuke Kawamoto,
Ken Maeda
Affiliations
Yudai Kuroda
Department of Veterinary Science, National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Kei Watanabe
Anicom Specialty Medical Institute Inc., Nishi-shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan
Tsukasa Yamamoto
Department of Veterinary Science, National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Hiroki Suzuki
Anicom Specialty Medical Institute Inc., Nishi-shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan
Eun-sil Park
Department of Veterinary Science, National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Keita Ishijima
Department of Veterinary Science, National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Kango Tatemoto
Department of Veterinary Science, National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Milagros Virhuez-Mendoza
Department of Veterinary Science, National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Yusuke Inoue
Department of Veterinary Science, National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Michiko Harada
Department of Veterinary Science, National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Ayano Nishino
Department of Veterinary Science, National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Tsuyoshi Sekizuka
Pathogen Genomics Center, NIID, Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Makoto Kuroda
Pathogen Genomics Center, NIID, Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Tsuguto Fujimoto
Department of Fungal Infection, NIID, Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Genki Ishihara
Anicom Specialty Medical Institute Inc., Nishi-shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan
Ryo Horie
Anicom Specialty Medical Institute Inc., Nishi-shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan
Kosuke Kawamoto
Anicom Specialty Medical Institute Inc., Nishi-shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan
Ken Maeda
Department of Veterinary Science, National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/v15102028
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15,
no. 10
Abstract
Read online
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among pets owned by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients has been reported around the world. However, how often the animals are exposed to SARS-CoV-2 by their owners is still unclear. We have collected swab samples from COVID-19 patients’ pets and performed real-time RT-PCR to detect the viral genome. In total, 8 of 53 dogs (15.1%) and 5 of 34 cats (14.7%) tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 N gene. The result of a virus neutralization (VN) test also showed VN antibodies in four cats and six dogs. Our results indicate that the virus often passed from infected owners to their pets, which then excreted the virus despite having no or mild clinical signs.
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