Paw-ly in the pandemic: pets can get the virus from their owners

Dog and cat owners suffering from Covid-19 can transmit their disease to their feline and canine companions, according to a small study published Friday.

The new coronavirus is a “zoonotic” infection, meaning that it has jumped to humans from animals, and while there are few signs that pets play a major role in spreading the virus, there is growing evidence that cats , dogs and even tigers can get it. .

In the latest preliminary research, which has not been peer-reviewed, veterinary science experts in Canada tested the pets of a group of people with a confirmed diagnosis of Covid-19.

In a first group, they took swabs from 17 cats, 18 dogs and a ferret whose owners received a diagnosis within two weeks. All of these were negative for a current illness, except for an unclear result.

They then performed blood antibody tests on eight cats and 10 dogs, whose owners were outside the two-week window, comparing them with control samples taken from the same animals before the pandemic.

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

All of the cats and one of the antibody-bearing dogs were reported to show signs of respiratory or other disease at the same time as their owners.

“While the number of eligible participants was limited by the relatively low human transmission rates in the study area, these preliminary results suggest that a substantial proportion of pets in the homes of people with COVID-19 end up developing antibodies,” said the co-author. from the Dorothee Bienzle studio. Professor of Veterinary Pathology at the University of Guelph in Ontario.

Independent experts commenting on the research, which will be presented at the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Conference on coronavirus disease later this month, said the sample size was too small to draw general conclusions and that pet owners should not be alarmed.

Sally Cutler, a professor of medical microbiology at the University of East London, said there is insufficient evidence to justify people trying to isolate themselves from their animals.

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

Domestic cats and dogs from Europe to the United States tested positive for the virus during the pandemic, while in April the Bronx Zoo in New York said a tiger had contracted the virus, likely from an asymptomatic keeper.

The World Health Organization has said it was unclear whether infected animals pose a risk to humans.

However, outbreaks of ferret-like mink farms have raised transmission concerns to humans.

At least two farm workers in the Netherlands were found to be infected with Covid-19 in May, most likely from mink, and the WHO said they could be the “first known cases of animal-to-human transmission.”