Vet World   Vol.18   May-2025  Article - 1 

One Health serosurveillance of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in domestic animals from the metropolitan area of Panama

Background and Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has raised concern regarding anthropozoonotic transmission to domestic animals, posing potential public and veterinary health risks. Latin America remains underrepresented in seroepidemiological assessments of such zoonotic spillover. This study aimed to detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in domestic dogs and cats in Panama using a One Health surveillance framework.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional serological survey was conducted between October 2022 and December 2023 across the metropolitan area of Panama City. Serum samples from 341 animals (198 dogs and 143 cats) were analyzed using a commercial double-antigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect antibodies targeting the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein. A historical panel of 100 pre-pandemic canine and feline samples was also tested. Demographic, clinical, and exposure data were collected through owner questionnaires, and statistical associations with seropositivity were assessed using univariate tests and binary logistic regression.

Results: Seropositivity was detected in 12/341 animals (3.5%; 95% confidence interval: 1.96–6.11%), comprising 9 dogs (4.5%) and 3 cats (2.1%). In addition, 2/100 pre-pandemic canine samples (2.0%) tested positive. Most seropositive animals (75%) were reported to have lived in households with confirmed COVID-19 cases, although this variable was not statistically associated with seropositivity. Regression analysis identified ideal body condition as a significant predictor (p = 0.016), while sampling location and demographic variables were not significant.

Conclusion: This study presents the first serological evidence of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in domestic pets in Panama. While low in prevalence, the findings underscore the relevance of community-based animal surveillance and reveal possible serological cross-reactivity with endemic canine coronaviruses. The data support the continued integration of domestic animal monitoring into One Health strategies to preempt zoonotic risks and improve pandemic preparedness.

Keywords: cats, dogs, One Health, Panama, serosurveillance, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, anthropozoonosis.

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How to cite this article: Pacheco SC, Jimenez AJ, Rangel GA, and Rengifo-Herrera C (2025) One Health serosurveillance of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in domestic animals from the metropolitan area of Panama, Veterinary World, 18(5): 1082-1089.

Received: 07-01-2025   Accepted: 28-03-2025   Published online: 08-05-2025

Corresponding author: Giselle A. Rangel and Claudia Del C. Rengifo-Herrera    E-mail: grangel@indicasat.org.pa and claudia.rengifo@up.ac.pa

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.1082-1089

Copyright: Pacheco, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.