Emerging Infectious Diseases (Jun 2023)

SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence and Cross-Variant Antibody Neutralization in Cats, United Kingdom

  • Grace B. Tyson,
  • Sarah Jones,
  • Nicola Logan,
  • Michael McDonald,
  • Leigh Marshall,
  • Pablo R. Murcia,
  • Brian J. Willett,
  • William Weir,
  • Margaret J. Hosie

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2906.221755
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 29, no. 6
pp. 1223 – 1227

Abstract

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Anthropogenic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to pet cats highlights the importance of monitoring felids for exposure to circulating variants. We tested cats in the United Kingdom for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies; seroprevalence peaked during September 2021–February 2022. The variant-specific response in cats trailed circulating variants in humans, indicating multiple human-to-cat transmissions over a prolonged period.

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