ABSTRACT
Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2 is the denomination of the new betacoronavirus, which was discovered and isolated for the first time in Wuhan, China, at the end of December 2019, and it is the causal agent of the sanitary emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic. Experimental studies have shown susceptibility to infection in pets (dogs and cats). Objective: To present the current information available on SARS-CoV-2 in animals under the care of humans that have been officially reported in the sanitary registries of the World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS) of the World Organization for Animal Health. Materials and methods: We conducted a narrative review using Medline/ PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Sciences, and official documents of the World Organisation for Animal Health. The search terms used were as follows: “coronavirus”, “SARS coronavirus 2019”, “SARS-CoV”, “SARS-CoV-2 in dog and/or cat” “pets SARS-CoV-2”. Results: The studies reviewed in this manuscript highlight those positive cases in cats and dogs for SARS-CoV-2 have been associated with an exposure to positive COVID-19 people. In the available evidence, 55.17 % of the total cases of animals that were positive for SARS-CoV-2 were associated with people with COVID-19 who had the disease at home, possibly due to maintaining a longer exposure to the humans. Conclusion: Regarding the zoonotic aspects, it is important to clarify that although several animal species have been infected by SARSCoV-2, none of them has been scientifically proven to represent a risk of direct transmission between positive animals and other humans or to play an epidemiological role in the disease © 2022, Revista Lasallista de Investigacion.All Rights Reserved.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The severe acute respiratory syndrome of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is the causal agent of the health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although humans are the main susceptible host, experimental studies and reported cases of natural infection have evidenced scenarios of SARS-CoV-2 reverse zoonosis in animals. Objective: To evaluate the natural infection of SARS-CoV-2 in cats and dogs of owners diagnosed with COVID-19 in the Aburra Valley, Antioquia, Colombia. Materials and methods: The circulation of SARS-CoV-2 was evaluated by RT-qPCR and RT-PCR in samples of nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal smears from cats and dogs whose owners had latency due to COVID-19 infection. The positive cases were verified by amplifying fragments of the RdRp, N and E genes;and the RdRp amplicon was sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed. Results: Six cats and three dogs were confirmed cases of natural infection for SARS-CoV-2 from 80 tested animals. The animals did not show clinical signs;and their owners, who suffered from the infection, reported only mild signs of the disease without clinical complications. In the analysis of one of the sequences, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was found with a change in position 647 substituting the amino acid serine (S) for an isoleucine (I). The cases occurred in the municipalities of Caldas, Medellin and Envigado. Conclusions: It is inferred that natural infection in cats and dogs is associated with direct contact with a COVID-19 patient.