SARS-Cov-2 Natural Infection in a Symptomatic Cat: Diagnostic, Clinical and Medical Management in a One Health Vision.
Alda NataleElisa MazzottaNicoletta MasonLetizia CeglieMonica MionAnnalisa StefaniAlice FincatoFrancesco BonfanteAlessio BortolamiIsabella MonneLaura BellinatiCarmine GuadagnoErika QuarantaAmbra PastoriCalogero TerreginoPublished in: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI (2021)
Despite the reported increase in SARS-CoV-2-infected pets, the description of the clinical features from natural infection and the medical follow up in symptomatic pets is still not sufficiently documented. This study reports the case of an indoor cat that displayed respiratory signs and a gastrointestinal syndrome, following the COVID-19 diagnosis of his owners. Thoracic radiographies were suggestive of bronchial pneumonia, while blood tests were indicative of a mild inflammatory process. Nasal and oropharyngeal swabs tested positive through RT-qPCR assays targeting SARS-CoV-2 genes 14 days after his owners tested positive for the virus. Nasal swabs persisted to be RT-qPCR positive after 31 days. Serology confirmed the presence of antibodies through ELISA, electrochemiluminescence analysis and plaque reduction neutralization test, recording a high antibody titre after 31 days. The cat improved after medical treatment and clinically recovered. This study suggests that exposure to SARS-CoV-2 could lead to a natural infection with bronchial pneumonia in cats along with a possible prolonged persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the upper airways, albeit at a low level. The cat developed neutralizing antibodies, reaching a high titre after 31 days. Further descriptions of SARS-CoV-2 naturally infected pets, their medical management and diagnostic findings would be useful to enhance knowledge about COVID-19 in susceptible animals.
Keyphrases
- sars cov
- healthcare
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- public health
- cystic fibrosis
- coronavirus disease
- coronary artery disease
- high throughput
- oxidative stress
- gene expression
- mental health
- spinal cord injury
- sensitive detection
- health information
- particulate matter
- risk assessment
- genome wide
- single cell
- climate change
- electronic health record
- combination therapy
- community acquired pneumonia
- genome wide identification
- replacement therapy