tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Pathogens
. 2020 Sep 11;9(9):E746.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens9090746.
New SARS-CoV-2 Infection Detected in an Italian Pet Cat by RT-qPCR from Deep Pharyngeal Swab
Nicol? Musso[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Angelita Costantino[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Sebastiano La Spina[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Alessandra Finocchiaro[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Francesca Andronico[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Stefano Stracquadanio[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Luigi Liotta[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Rosanna Visalli[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Giovanni Emmanuele[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
The pandemic respiratory disease COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in Wuhan in December 2019 and then spread throughout the world; Italy was the most affected European country. Despite close pet-human contact, little is known about the predisposition of pets to SARS-CoV-2. Among these, felines are the most susceptible. In this study, a domestic cat with clear clinical signs of pneumonia, confirmed by Rx imaging, was found to be infected by SARS-CoV-2 using quantitative RT-qPCR from a nasal swab. This is the first Italian study responding to the request of the scientific community to focus attention on the possible role of pets as a viral reservoir. An important question remains unanswered: did the cat actually die due to SARS-CoV-2 infection?
Keywords: RNA-extraction; SARS-CoV-2; pet cat; pneumonia.
. 2020 Sep 11;9(9):E746.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens9090746.
New SARS-CoV-2 Infection Detected in an Italian Pet Cat by RT-qPCR from Deep Pharyngeal Swab
Nicol? Musso[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Angelita Costantino[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Sebastiano La Spina[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Alessandra Finocchiaro[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Francesca Andronico[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Stefano Stracquadanio[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Luigi Liotta[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Rosanna Visalli[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Giovanni Emmanuele[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 32932800
- DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9090746
Abstract
The pandemic respiratory disease COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in Wuhan in December 2019 and then spread throughout the world; Italy was the most affected European country. Despite close pet-human contact, little is known about the predisposition of pets to SARS-CoV-2. Among these, felines are the most susceptible. In this study, a domestic cat with clear clinical signs of pneumonia, confirmed by Rx imaging, was found to be infected by SARS-CoV-2 using quantitative RT-qPCR from a nasal swab. This is the first Italian study responding to the request of the scientific community to focus attention on the possible role of pets as a viral reservoir. An important question remains unanswered: did the cat actually die due to SARS-CoV-2 infection?
Keywords: RNA-extraction; SARS-CoV-2; pet cat; pneumonia.