Scientists in Texas have reported that they have two pets with the coronavirus – the first in the state.
The cats were swabbed as part of a study conducted at Texas A&M University to understand how pets living in “high-risk” households can be affected by COVID-19.
The cats were sitting in separate houses in Brazos County – and asymptomatic. One cat started barking after a visit from researchers.
A nasal swab sample is collected from Crocket, a researcher from Bryan, Texas.
(Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences)
Dr Sarah Hamer, an epidemiologist, told KBTX-TV on Friday afternoon that her team is testing dogs and cats living in homes where the coronavirus has infected at least one person. The study began in June.
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She said that now that she knows there is a chance for pets to infect in COVID-positive homes, pet owners should be careful when they are infected, but that they should not worry, according to the station.
“Under no circumstances would an owner of an infected pet be asked to hand over their pets, and there is no need to worry about a diagnosis,” she said. ‘But if we find that a pet is positive, we would work with those owners to take preventative measures to ensure that that pet stays at home, does not interact with other pets and is isolated in the same way that positive people would isolate. ”
Samples are collected from Daisy by members of field research team (from left) research fellow Lisa Auckland, postdoctoral associate Italo Zecca (MPH, PhD), and doctoral student Edward Davila.
(Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences)
In a news release, Hamer said the study was not designed to test whether pets become infected by owners, or vice versa.
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In July, a pet dog in Fort Worth, Texas, tested positive for the virus. The owners had the virus.
“Based on current knowledge, there is no evidence that pets play a significant role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to humans,” said State Veterinarian Dr. Andy Schwartz at the time.
In April, federal officials confirmed two cats living in different parts of New York had positive tests for the virus. They had mild respiratory diseases.
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They were the first companion animals in the US to test positive.
