Research Article | 31 Oct 2021

First report of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 detection in two asymptomatic cats in the state of Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil

Ivyson da Silva Epifanio1, Davi dos Santos Rodrigues1, Leonardo Borges de Lima1, Maria Aurea de Azevedo Nogueira1, Laelia Reginae do Monte Pessoa Felix1, Barbara Ferreira de Almeida1, Claudia Kathariny da Silva Farias1, Otavio Valerio de Carvalho2, Rita de Cassia Carvalho Maia1, Luiz Eduardo Ristow2, David Soeiro Barbosa3, Juliana Arena Galhardo4, Christina Pettan-Brewer5, Louise Bach Kmetiuk6, Rafael Garabet Agopian7, Valeria Dutra8, Helio Autran de Morais9, Andrea Pires dos Santos10, Alexander Welker Biondo6, and Daniel Friguglietti Brandespim1Show more
VETERINARY WORLD | pg no. 2839-2842 | Vol. 14, Issue 10 | DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2021.2839-2842
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Abstract

          
Background and Aim: Despite worldwide case reports, including Brazilian cases, no frequency study on infection of pets by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been conducted to date in Brazil. Accordingly, the present study was aimed to assess dogs and cats belonging to positive owners in Recife, Northeastern Brazil.
Materials and Methods: This was a longitudinal prospective study on dogs and cats in the city of Recife whose owners were in isolation at home due to a confirmed laboratory diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 through reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Oral and rectal swabs from the pets were tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific RNA by means of RT-qPCR.
Results: Among the pets tested, 0/16 dogs and 2/15 cats were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Interestingly, the two positive cats were owned by two unrelated asymptomatic veterinary students, which, therefore, post a warning to veterinarians worldwide.
Conclusion: The findings herein indicate that cats may act as sentinels for human cases, particularly sharing households with asymptomatic human cases. Although with small sampling and convenient recruiting, the presence of infected cats by SARS-CoV-2 was most likely due to close cat-human contact with positive owners, posting a human-animal health threat when pets share the same bed and interact with owners without protection, particularly during owner self-isolation. Thus, infected owners should follow the same human preventive guidelines with their pets to avoid spreading infection. Keywords: Brazil, coronavirus, domestic animals, pandemic.
          
Keywords: Brazil, coronavirus, domestic animals, pandemic.