Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 identification methods through surveillance of companion animals in SARS-CoV-2-positive homes in North Carolina, March to December 2020
Taylor E. Gin,
Elizabeth A. Petzold,
Diya M. Uthappa,
Coralei E. Neighbors,
Anna R. Borough,
Craig Gin,
Erin Lashnits,
Gregory D. Sempowski,
Thomas Denny,
Dorothee Bienzle,
J. Scott Weese,
Benjamin J. Callahan,
Christopher W. Woods
Affiliations
Taylor E. Gin
College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America
Elizabeth A. Petzold
Department of Infectious Diseases, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
Diya M. Uthappa
Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
Coralei E. Neighbors
Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
Anna R. Borough
Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
Craig Gin
College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America
Erin Lashnits
Department of Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
Gregory D. Sempowski
Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
Thomas Denny
Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
Dorothee Bienzle
Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
J. Scott Weese
Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Benjamin J. Callahan
College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America
Christopher W. Woods
Department of Infectious Diseases, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
We collected oral and/or rectal swabs and serum from dogs and cats living in homes with SARS-CoV-2-PCR-positive persons for SARS-CoV-2 PCR and serology testing. Pre-COVID-19 serum samples from dogs and cats were used as negative controls, and samples were tested in duplicate at different timepoints. Raw ELISA results scrutinized relative to known negative samples suggested that cut-offs for IgG seropositivity may require adjustment relative to previously proposed values, while proposed cut-offs for IgM require more extensive validation. A small number of pet dogs (2/43, 4.7%) and one cat (1/21, 4.8%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, and 28.6 and 37.5% of cats and dogs were positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG, respectively.
