First cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in dogs and cats in Thailand
Issued Date
2022-07-01
Resource Type
ISSN
18651674
eISSN
18651682
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85119354992
Pubmed ID
34739748
Journal Title
Transboundary and Emerging Diseases
Volume
69
Issue
4
Start Page
e979
End Page
e991
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Transboundary and Emerging Diseases Vol.69 No.4 (2022) , e979-e991
Suggested Citation
Jairak W., Charoenkul K., Chamsai E., Udom K., Chaiyawong S., Bunpapong N., Boonyapisitsopa S., Tantilertcharoen R., Techakriengkrai N., Surachetpong S., Tangwangvivat R., Suwannakarn K., Amonsin A. First cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in dogs and cats in Thailand. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases Vol.69 No.4 (2022) , e979-e991. e991. doi:10.1111/tbed.14383 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/84967
Title
First cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in dogs and cats in Thailand
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in humans since late 2019. Here, we investigated SARS-CoV-2 infection in dogs and cats during COVID-19 quarantine at private veterinary hospitals in Thailand. From April to May 2021, we detected SARS-CoV-2 in three out of 35 dogs and one out of nine cats from four out of 17 households with confirmed COVID-19 patients. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected from one of the nasal, oral, rectal and environmental swabs of dog-A (15 years old, mixed breed, male dog), cat-B (1 year old, domestic shorthair, male cat), dog-C (2 years old, mixed breed, female dog) and dog-D (4 years old, Pomeranian, female dog). The animals tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA from 4 to 30 days after pet owners were confirmed to be COVID-19 positive. The animals consecutively tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA for 4 to 10 days. One dog (dog-A) showed mild clinical signs, while the other dogs and a cat remained asymptomatic during quarantine at the hospitals. SARS-CoV-2 specific neutralizing antibodies were detected in both the dogs and cat by surrogate virus neutralization tests. Phylogenetic and genomic mutation analyses of whole genome sequences of three SARS-CoV-2 strains from the dogs and cat revealed SARS-CoV-2 of the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7 lineage). Our findings are suggestive of human-to-animal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19-positive households and contamination of viral RNA in the environment. Public awareness of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pet dogs and cats in close contact with COVID-19 patients should be raised.