Abstract
Recent studies demonstrated that domestic cats can be naturally and experimentally infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study was performed to investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies within the domestic cat population in Istanbul, Turkey, before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, from 155 cat sera analyzed, 26.45% (41/155) tested positive in the spike protein-ELISA (S-ELISA), 28.38% (44/155) in the receptor-binding domain-ELISA (RBD-ELISA), and 21.9% (34/155) in both, the S- and RBD-ELISAs. Twenty-seven of those were also positive for the presence of antibodies to feline coronavirus (FCoV). Among the 34 SARS-CoV-2-positive sera, three of those were positive on serum neutralization assay. Six of the 30 cats before COVID-19 and 28 of the 125 cats during COVID-19 were found to be seropositive. About 20% of ELISA-positive cats exhibited mainly respiratory, gastrointestinal, and renal signs and skin lesions. Hematocrit, hemoglobin, white blood cells, lymphocyte, and platelet numbers were low in about 30% of ELISA-positive cats. The number of neutrophils and monocytes were above normal values in about 20% of ELISA-positive cats. The liver enzyme alanine aminotransferase levels were high in 23.5% ELISA-positive cats. In conclusion, this is the first report describing antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2 antigens (S and RBD) in cats in Istanbul, Turkey, indicating the risk for domestic cats to contract SARS-CoV-2 from owners and/or household members with COVID-19. This study and others show that COVID-19-positive pet owners should limit their contact with companion animals and that pets with respiratory signs should be monitored for SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Highlights
High numbers of severe respiratory infections in humans were first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China; the etiological agent was later characterized as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as an enveloped singlestranded RNA virus classified as betacoronavirus in the Coronaviridae family, and the disease was designated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization (WHO) [1,2,3]
We investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies within the cat population in Istanbul, Turkey
Thirty-four (21.9%; 34/155) cat sera tested positive in both the S- and receptor-binding domain (RBD)-ELISA (Figure 1), five sera were positive only in spike protein-ELISA (S-ELISA), and nine sera were positive only in RBD-ELISA (Figure 1)
Summary
High numbers of severe respiratory infections in humans were first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China; the etiological agent was later characterized as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as an enveloped singlestranded RNA virus classified as betacoronavirus in the Coronaviridae family, and the disease was designated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization (WHO) [1,2,3]. SARS-CoV-2 is a zoonotic agent and was most likely transmitted from bats to humans; it is not wellunderstood which animals are susceptible to and can spread COVID-19. Susceptible animals may serve as a reservoir for disease posing a risk to humans and drive further virus changes [1, 7]. Feline ACE2 differs at only four out of a total of 20 residues compared with the human ACE2 conforming receptor binding pocket. These residues are the key determinants for virus-host range differentiating the susceptibility of a species to SARS-CoV-2 and can affect the efficiency of receptor-binding domain (RBD) binding to ACE2 [8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
