Pets can catch the virus from owners

Owners of cats and dogs suffering from covid-19 can pass on their illness to their cat and canine companions, according to a small study released Friday.

ફ Joseph Prezioso
There is a lot of evidence that pets play an important role in spreading the virus

The new coronavirus is a “zoonotic” infection – meaning it has passed from animals to humans – and while pets play a major role in spreading the virus, there is growing evidence that cats, dogs and even tigers may be involved. Catch it.

In a recent preliminary research, whose peer has not been reviewed, veterinarians in Canada tested a group of people with a definitive diagnosis of Covid-19.

In the first group, they took swabs from 17 cats, 18 dogs and a ferret whose owners were diagnosed within two weeks. All of this was negative for the current illness, except for one vague result.

They then gave blood antibody tests to eight cats and 10 dogs whose owners were out of the window for two weeks to control samples of the same animals before the epidemic.

The results in cats indicated the presence of IgG or IgM antibodies at four (50 per cent) and three (38 per cent), respectively, while two dogs also tested positive (20 per cent).

All cats with antibodies and one dog have been found to show signs of respiratory or other illness just like their owners.

“Part of the study was limited by the number of eligible participants with relatively low human transmission rates, but these preliminary results indicate that pets develop significant amounts of antibodies in the homes of individuals with Covid-19,” said study co-author Dorothy Bianzle. Professor of Veterinary Pathology at the University of the Gulf in Ntantario.

Commenting on research to be presented at the European Society Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Conference on Coronavirus Disease earlier this month, independent experts said the sample size was too small to draw a broad conclusion and pet owners should be warned.

Sally Cutler, a professor of medical microbiology at the University of East London, said there was not enough evidence to guarantee people would try to isolate themselves from their animals.

“Pets can be a source of comfort for humans, especially when they are sick,” he said, adding that it has not yet been demonstrated whether pets can be a source of human infection.

Domestic cats and U.S. from Europe. Till the dogs tested positive for the virus during the epidemic, while in April the New York Bronx Zoo said the tiger had caught the virus, probably from an asymmetrical caretaker.

The World Health Organization says it is unclear whether infected animals are a threat to humans.

Outbreaks appear to be exacerbated during this time.

At least two farm workers in the Netherlands have been infected with Covid-19 in May, mostly by Mink, the WHO said they could be “the first known cases of animal-to-human transmission”.

Video: Allergy symptoms can be similar to COVID-19 symptoms (CBS Philadelphia).