Investigation on the infection of feline coronavirus in partial areas of China during the novel coronavirus outbreak

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to investigate the infection of feline coronavirus (FCoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in partial areas of China during the novel coronavirus outbreak. Nose swabs and rectal swabs were collected from cats presented with respiratory disease symptoms and gastrointestinal disease symptoms in pet hospitals of 14 cities in China. Total RNAs were extracted from the samples and then were transcribed to cDNA. The FCoV and SARS-CoV-2 were detected by the reported PCR methods. As a result, no SARS-CoV-2 case has been detected in 269 cats, while there were 35 cats infected with feline coronavirus. It was suggested that there was no case infected with SARS-CoV-2 in fourteen cities in China during novel coronavirus outbreak.