First genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 recovered from an infected cat and its owner in Latin America

Abstract

An 11 years-old male mixed-breed cat, with exclusively indoor life, presented 3 cough episodes after the owners tested positive by RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2. The house is inhabited by 5 people (3 adults and 2 children), and 2 of the adults have shown mild symptoms associated with throat discomfort. The cat was vaccinated, had no history of any previous disease, and tested negative for Feline Coronavirus (FeCoV), Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV). Rectal sample collected from the cat was positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR. Viral genome sequences recovered from human and cat samples showed an average 99.4% sequence identity. This is the first report of genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 recovered from a cat and its owner in Latin America.

Human-to-Cat SARS-CoV-2 Transmission: Case Report and Full-Genome Sequencing from an Infected Pet and Its Owner in Northern Italy

“…Our findings confirm previous observations of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic SARS-CoV2 infection in cats [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ], although it cannot be excluded that it may lead to severe disease, as in the case of other feline coronaviruses [ 1 ].…”

“…The presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a cat four weeks after the onset of clinical signs in its COVID-19 positive owner suggests human-to-cat transmission, especially as the cat was kept indoors and had had no contact with anyone other than its owner during the previous two weeks, and confirms previous reports [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

“…Whole-genome sequencing of the viruses from the infected cat and its owner confirmed their close genetic relationship. Only two genome comparisons of SARS-CoV-2 isolated from cats and their owners have been reported so far [ 9 , 10 ], although it has been suggested that cats may be easily infected by their COVID-19-positive owners [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

“…Cat-to-cat transmission has also been demonstrated in experimentally inoculated animals [ 2 ], and it is known that the various outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 infection on mink farms in The Netherlands and Denmark have been caused by human-to-animal, mink-to-human, and mink-to-cat transmission [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Furthermore, although the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is mainly between humans, there have been reports of probable human-to-cat transmission [ 7 , 8 ], including transmission from infected owners of pet cats [ 9 , 10 ]. In Italy, recent testing of oropharyngeal, nasal and/or rectal swabs of about 900 pets revealed that the prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among the cats was 5.8%, while no RT-PCR positive swab was found [ 11 ].…”

“…Given the possible presence of intermediate hosts and animal reservoirs, understanding the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and controlling the current COVID-19 pandemic requires a One Health approach [ 12 ] and detailed knowledge of viral circulation in humans and animals. However, only a few of the published reports have included an in-depth analysis of viral genomic sequences both in the infected cats and their owners [ 9 , 10 ].…”