SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in cats and dogs in infected mink farms
SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in cats and dogs in infected mink farms
Published 27 September 2021
van Aart, A.E. et al (2021) SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in cats and dogs in infected mink farms. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.14173
This short communication reports on the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2-positive cats and dogs from ten infected mink farms in the Netherlands, and their possible role in transmission of the virus.
Throat and rectal swabs of 101 cats (12 domestic and 89 feral cats) and 13 dogs were tested for SARS-CoV-2 using PCR. Eleven cats (18%) and two dogs (15%) tested serologically positive. Three feral cats (3%) and one dog (8%) tested PCR-positive.
The authors conclude that as only feral cats were infected it is most likely that infections in cats were initiated by mink, not by humans. Whether both dogs were infected by mink or humans remains inconclusive.
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