One Health Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Seropositivity among Pets in Households with Confirmed Human COVID-19 Cases - Utah and Wisconsin, 2020

Goryoka, G. W.; Cossaboom, C. M.; Gharpure, R.; Dawson, P.; Tansey, C.; Rossow, J.; Mrotz, V.; Rooney, J.; Torchetti, M.; Loiacono, C. M.; Killian, M. L.; Jenkins-Moore, M.; Lim, A.; Poulsen, K.; Christensen, D.; Sweet, E.; Peterson, D.; Sangster, A. L.; Young, E. L.; Oakeson, K. F.; Taylor, D.; Price, A.; Kiphibane, T.; Klos, R.; Konkle, D.; Bhattacharyya, S.; Dasu, T.; Chu, V. T.; Lewis, N. M.; Queen, K.; Zhang, J.; Uehara, A.; Dietrich, E. A.; Tong, S.; Kirking, H. L.; Doty, J. R.; Murrell, L. S.; Spengler, J. R.; Straily, A.; Wallace, R.; Barton Behravesh, C.

doi:10.1101/2021.04.11.439379

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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2021.04.11.439379

One Health Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Seropositivity among Pets in Households with Confirmed Human COVID-19 Cases - Utah and Wisconsin, 2020

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Abstract

BackgroundApproximately 67% of U.S. households have pets. Limited data are available on SARS-CoV-2 in pets. We assessed SARS-CoV-2 infection in pet cohabitants as a sub-study of an ongoing COVID-19 household transmission investigation. MethodsMammalian pets from households with [≥]1 person with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were eligible for inclusion from April-May 2020. Demographic/exposure information, oropharyngeal, nasal, rectal, and fur swabs, feces, and blood were collected from enrolled pets and tested by rRT-PCR and virus neutralization assays. FindingsWe enrolled 37 dogs and 19 cats from 34 of 41 eligible households. All oropharyngeal, nasal, and rectal swabs tested negative by rRT-PCR; one dogs fur swabs (2%) tested positive by rRT-PCR at the first animal sampling. Among 47 pets with serological results from 30 households, eight (17%) pets (4 dogs, 4 cats) from 6 (20%) households had detectable SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. In households with a seropositive pet, the proportion of people with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 was greater (median 79%; range: 40-100%) compared to households with no seropositive pet (median 37%; range: 13-100%) (p=0.01). Thirty-three pets with serologic results had frequent daily contact ([≥]1 hour) with the human index patient before the persons COVID-19 diagnosis. Of these 33 pets, 14 (42%) had decreased contact with the human index patient after diagnosis and none (0%) were seropositive; of the 19 (58%) pets with continued contact, 4 (21%) were seropositive. InterpretationsSeropositive pets likely acquired infection from humans, which may occur more frequently than previously recognized. People with COVID-19 should restrict contact with animals. FundingCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Agriculture

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Goryoka, G. W., Cossaboom, C. M., Gharpure, R., Dawson, P., Tansey, C., Rossow, J., Mrotz, V., Rooney, J., Torchetti, M., Loiacono, C. M., Killian, M. L., Jenkins-Moore, M., Lim, A., Poulsen, K., Christensen, D., Sweet, E., Peterson, D., Sangster, A. L., Young, E. L., Oakeson, K. F., Taylor, D., Price, A., Kiphibane, T., Klos, R., Konkle, D., Bhattacharyya, S., Dasu, T., Chu, V. T., Lewis, N. M., Queen, K., Zhang, J., Uehara, A., Dietrich, E. A., Tong, S., Kirking, H. L., Doty, J. R., Murrell, L. S., Spengler, J. R., Straily, A., Wallace, R., Barton Behravesh, C.. 2021-04-13. One Health Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Seropositivity among Pets in Households with Confirmed Human COVID-19 Cases - Utah and Wisconsin, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.11.439379

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