Dog with positive coronavirus, first case in Italy: “Infected by humans”

First case of coronavirus its a cane in Italy. A one and a half year old poodle who lives in Bitonto (in the province of Bari) with a family of three, all positive and symptomatic, tested positive in the smear. The dog has no symptoms. It was Nicola Decaro, professor of infectious diseases of animals at the University of Bari and member of the executive board of the European College of Veterinary Microbiology, who made the diagnosis on the dog, examining the swabs made by the owners themselves in the laboratory.

Dog with positive coronavirus in Bitonto: “There is no danger to our health”

The scientist, brother of the mayor of Bari Antonio Decaro, has been studying the traces of coronavirus in dogs and cats since the first wave, but so far he had only found animals positive to the serological test. Now from the pages of Republic, the expert invites everyone not to be alarmed, explaining that the dog would have been infected by humans and could not infect: “Very low viral load. Animals are not a danger to our health, on the contrary we must protect them.” The virus, present in modest quantities, therefore would not allow the dog to infect anyone. Even Pierluigi Lopalco, health councilor for the Puglia region, commented: “The news does not represent a health problem, so it has emerged so far, dogs are not hosts capable of spreading the infection.”

Now we will proceed to the analysis of the dog’s blood, subjecting it to a serological test. “We must treat animals exactly as if they were other people. For this reason, also to protect the health of our animals, it is advisable to entrust them to non-positive friends or relatives who can take care of them, if possible – explained Professor Nicola Decaro -. It applies. always the principle of maximum precaution, even knowing that, I repeat, they are not a danger to our health. The risk of contagion from dogs or cats is almost nil. There will be a score of documented cases around the world ”.

The dog lives in a family with three infected people.

The news is confirmed by theAnsa based on what has been learned from the prevention department of the Puglia region. According to the news agency, the ASL Bari prevention department has sent a note to the Ministry of Health to inform it of the case. As mentioned, the dog lives in a family of three, all with positive coronavirus and symptoms. The veterinary service also swabbed the dog, finding “low positivity.”