Determining the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in domestic cats

In a recent study published in United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Journal of Emerging Infectious DiseasesScottish researchers tested for seroprevalence and antibodies against Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) British (British) pet cat.

study: SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and cross-variant antibody neutralization in British cats. Image Credit: AfricaStudio/Shutterstock.com

Background

since the onset of coronavirus disease Due to the 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that approximately 26 animal species are considered susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Determining the susceptibility of animal species to SARS-CoV-2 is important for understanding the risk of future transmission of the virus within animal populations and the potential for animal populations to serve as virus reservoirs.

Studies have reported animal-to-animal transmission within populations of hamsters, minks, and white-tailed deer.

Felines make up approximately 30% of the species considered susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. However, it remains unclear whether pet cats with frequent contact with humans are susceptible to different variants of SARS-CoV-2 and whether cats develop clinical symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection. is.

About research

In this study, researchers Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) Antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain were measured in a pseudovirus neutralization assay (PVNA) Neutralizing antibody Pet cat titers from April 2020 to February 2022.

Virus pseudotypes are the lentiviral backbone and spike protein of the major SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in the UK

We screened blood samples from 2,309 domestic cats using ELISA and PVNA. Pseudotypes consisted of spike proteins from the ancestral strain (D614G) and alpha, delta, and omicron variants.

result

As a result, SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in UK domestic cats increased over time, with seroprevalence increasing from September to November 2021 (5.3%) and from December 2021 to February 2022. (5.2%) was the highest among

Furthermore, viral titers showed variant-specific differences among individual samples, with 41.3% having the highest antibody titers against the alpha variant, 36% being delta dominant, and 22.7% against the ancestral strain. had the highest antibody titers.

When pseudotyped virus was used to determine neutralization titers, Delta-dominant blood samples were pseudovirus Carries the delta spike protein.

Due to the very low number of samples collected after the emergence of the Omicron variant, no seropositive samples that were Omicron dominant were found.

The novel variant was first detected in cats after it was detected in humans, but despite the decline in human cases due to the variant, significant neutralizing antibodies against the extinct SARS-CoV-2 variant valence was found in cats.

Cross-variant neutralization was also low, with alpha, delta, omicron, and D614G dominant samples having low neutralizing antibody titers against all pseudotyped viruses except their dominant pseudoviruses.

Although the results were not significant, the study found that the proportion of cats with seropositive pedigrees was higher than that of cats without pedigrees. more likely to be infected, increasing contact with their owners and increasing the risk of human-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Conclusion

This study evaluated neutralizing antibody titers and seroprevalence against SARS-CoV-2 in UK domestic cats to determine the risk of animal-to-animal and animal-to-human transmission.

Results showed increased SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in domestic cats during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK

This suggests a high risk of human-to-feline transmission of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant and underscores the need to monitor SARS-CoV-2 transmission in pet cats that come into frequent contact with their owners. I am emphasizing.