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Review article - Peer-reviewed, 2021

Anthropogenic Infection of Cats during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic

Hosie, Margaret J.; Hofmann-Lehmann, Regina; Hartmann, Katrin; Egberink, Herman; Truyen, Uwe; Addie, Diane D.; Belak, Sandor; Boucraut-Baralon, Corine; Frymus, Tadeusz; Lloret, Albert; Lutz, Hans; Marsilio, Fulvio; Pennisi, Maria Grazia; Tasker, Severine; Thiry, Etienne; Mostl, Karin

Abstract

COVID-19 is a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) caused by a new coronavirus (CoV), SARS-CoV-2, which is closely related to SARS-CoV that jumped the animal-human species barrier and caused a disease outbreak in 2003. SARS-CoV-2 is a betacoronavirus that was first described in 2019, unrelated to the commonly occurring feline coronavirus (FCoV) that is an alphacoronavirus associated with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). SARS-CoV-2 is highly contagious and has spread globally within a few months, resulting in the current pandemic. Felids have been shown to be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Particularly in the Western world, many people live in very close contact with their pet cats, and natural infections of cats in COVID-19-positive households have been described in several countries. In this review, the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD), a scientifically independent board of experts in feline medicine from 11 European Countries, discusses the current status of SARS-CoV infections in cats. The review examines the host range of SARS-CoV-2 and human-to-animal transmissions, including infections in domestic and non-domestic felids, as well as mink-to-human/-cat transmission. It summarises current data on SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in domestic cats and the results of experimental infections of cats and provides expert opinions on the clinical relevance and prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection in cats.

Keywords

SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; domestic cats; wild felids; companion animals; minks; experimental infection; human-to-feline transmission; one health

Published in

Viruses
2021, Volume: 13, number: 2, article number: 185
Publisher: MDPI

    Sustainable Development Goals

    SDG3 Good health and well-being

    UKÄ Subject classification

    Clinical Science

    Publication identifier

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/v13020185

    Permanent link to this page (URI)

    https://res.slu.se/id/publ/111202