Research report on two cats that caught COVID-19

Our cat friends are also vulnerable to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, according to a new study posted on the preprint server. bioRxiv*. Researchers have diagnosed two cats living in France with mild symptomatological COVID-19 disease. The virus is most likely transmitted by the owner.

Previous studies have shown increased evidence of cat-to-cat and human-to-cat SARS-CoV-2 transmission, but not the other way around. Infection of cats by one of the variants of concern remains unknown, but raises concerns for pet and non-pet owners.

The researcher wrote:

“This question is because the UK variant, which is known to be much more infectious, is now removing the SARS-CoV-2 ancestral variant not only in France but also in other European countries. It will rapidly become important in the very near future. It is becoming increasingly important to implement the One Health approach to combat the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic that takes into account pet infections and viral circulation. “

First cat

The two cats came from two separate homes during the second coronavirus wave in France from October 2020 to November 2020. The team collected RNA samples using nasopharyngeal and rectal samples. They use PCR to confirm the diagnosis of coronavirus. One cat is nucleocapsid protein (N protein) or Spike protein..

The first participant was a 5-year-old European female cat raised in an indoor-only home with one pet. Her only contact with the outside world during the pandemic was her owner. She was vaccinated three years ago and had no medical history.

Her owner was positive for symptomatological SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 10 days later, on October 24, 2020, cats also began to show symptoms. She showed continuous sneezing with non-suppurative nasal discharge. There were no digestive system or other symptoms showing SARS-CoV-2.

Five days after the onset of symptoms, the cat had pink mucosa, increased heart rate at 175 bpm, increased rectal temperature in the range 38 ° C to 39 ° C, dehydration, urea serum concentration 0.49 g / l, creatinine. Serum concentration 12.7 mg / l.

Cats were treated with a single doxibactin tablet for 10 days and a daily dose of meloxoral for 3 days, with significant improvement 3 days after treatment.

The team evaluated sera from blood samples to look for post-recovery SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. They discovered antibodies specific for the N protein, the receptor binding domain of the spike protein, and the tri-spike SARS-CoV-2 protein. Researchers were unable to perform genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 mutants due to inadequate storage of swab samples.

Second cat

The second participant was a 13-year-old European man with a history of chronic rhinitis and living in a family with multiple pets. After the pet owner (also positive) reported mild symptoms, he tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further examination revealed retromandibular vein disease, but no other symptoms.

As with the first cat, poor sample storage made it difficult to evaluate the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Researchers could only sequence five partial fragments from the oropharyngeal swab. They did not find a deletion of 11288-11296. This suggests that coronavirus infection is not due to B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1 variants. Researchers did not find evidence of the mutation because it may be before the mutation appeared, but said they had limited understanding of the effects of the mutation on cats. It remains unclear how mutations affect the infectivity and severity of the disease.

One of the sequenced fragments had a gene mutation in amino acid Q57H. Researchers point out that the H57 mutation was found worldwide and was present in about 70% of the sequences analyzed in France from October to December 2020.

The results suggest that the owner is likely to have infected both cats. “It is not possible to completely eliminate the transmission of cats by individuals outside the home, but from the owners, such as exclusive and unique contact with the owner of Cat 1 and the general deterioration of the condition of all cats in Cat 2. The information provided The owners strongly suggest transmission from the owners to cats, “the research team wrote.

Important Notices

* bioRxiv Publish preliminary scientific reports that should not be considered definitive as they are not peer-reviewed, guide clinical practice / health-related behaviors, and should not be treated as established information.