Background and Aim: Despite worldwide case reports, including Brazilian cases, no frequency study on infection of pets by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been conducted to date in Brazil. Accordingly, the present study was aimed to assess dogs and cats belonging to positive owners in Recife, Northeastern Brazil. Materials and Methods: This was a longitudinal prospective study on dogs and cats in the city of Recife whose owners were in isolation at home due to a confirmed laboratory diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 through reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Oral and rectal swabs from the pets were tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific RNA by means of RT-qPCR. Results: Among the pets tested, 0/16 dogs and 2/15 cats were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Interestingly, the two positive cats were owned by two unrelated asymptomatic veterinary students, which, therefore, post a warning to veterinarians worldwide. Conclusion: The findings herein indicate that cats may act as sentinels for human cases, particularly sharing households with asymptomatic human cases. Although with small sampling and convenient recruiting, the presence of infected cats by SARS-CoV-2 was most likely due to close cat-human contact with positive owners, posting a human-animal health threat when pets share the same bed and interact with owners without protection, particularly during owner self-isolation. Thus, infected owners should follow the same human preventive guidelines with their pets to avoid spreading infection.
The concept of health can be properly defined as " [...] the result of the conditions of food, housing, education, income, environment, work, transportation, employment, leisure, freedom, access and possession of land and access to services of health". Among these factors, food stands out, having a direct influence on the quality of life and health of individuals, providing maintenance, prevention and recovery of well-being, essentially because it is a basic human need. Episodes of DTAs (Foodborne Diseases) related to household incidence are of great proportion, demonstrating the need for greater attention to the use of the ten golden rules of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the safe preparation of food. The use of microbial control measures can minimize the occurrence of possible contamination in places where food is prepared, utensils and equipment, as well as the furniture in the place, in order to reduce the percentages of DTAs. The study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial action of two cleaning and disinfection methods on different materials: marble and formica. The analysis was standardized in order to quantify the microbial load after contamination induced with the Escherichia coli strain (ATCC 25922 ) on the surfaces of the prototypes, comparing two different methods for their decontamination, using neutral detergent and 70% alcohol and the disinfectant Peroxide MSCD®, a control group was also established. The analysis and quantification of microorganisms present was performed using RODAC® plates with PCA culture medium in contact with the surfaces of the prototypes. The reduction/ elimination, by quantitative analysis, of CFU/cm² was observed in the prototypes, after cleaning/disinfection on both surfaces of the materials. It is concluded that the cleaning/disinfection protocol was efficient in microbial control, using neutral detergent plus 70% alcohol and MSCD® Peroxide, with complete elimination (100%) of the bacterial load from both surfaces of the prototypes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.