A large-scale serological survey in pets from October 2020 through June 2021 in France shows significantly higher exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in cats

Fritz, M.; Elguero, E.; Becquart, P.; de Riols de Fonclare, D.; Garcia, D.; Beurlet, S.; Denolly, S.; Boson, B.; Rosolen, S. G.; Cosset, F.-L.; Briend-Marchal, A.; Legros, V.; Leroy, E. M.

doi:10.1101/2022.12.23.521567

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.12.23.521567

A large-scale serological survey in pets from October 2020 through June 2021 in France shows significantly higher exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in cats

Fritz, M.·Elguero, E.·Becquart, P.·de Riols de Fonclare, D.·Garcia, D.·Beurlet, S.·Denolly, S.·Boson, B.·Rosolen, S. G.·Cosset, F.-L.·Briend-Marchal, A.·Legros, V.·Leroy, E. M.

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Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can infect many animals, including pets such as dogs and cats. Many studies have documented infection in companion animals by bio-molecular and serological methods. However, only a few have compared seroprevalence in cats and dogs from the general population, and these studies were limited by small sample sizes and collections over short periods. Our goal was to obtain a more accurate evaluation of seroprevalence in companion animals in France and to determine whether cats and dogs differ in their exposure to SARS-CoV-2. For this purpose, we conducted an extensive SARS-CoV-2 cross-sectional serological survey of 2036 cats and 3577 dogs sampled by veterinarians during medical examinations in clinics throughout France. Sampling was carried out from October 2020 through June 2021, a period encompassing the second and third waves of SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans in the country. Using a microsphere immunoassay targeting the receptor binding domain and trimeric spike protein, we found 7.1% seroprevalence in pets. In a subset of 308 seropositive samples, 26.3% had neutralizing antibodies. We found that cats were significantly more likely to test positive than dogs, with seropositivity rates of 9.3% and 5.9% in cats and dogs, respectively. Finally, data for both species showed that seroprevalence was lower in older animals and was not associated with the date of sampling or the sex of the animal. Our results show that cats are significantly more sensitive to SARS-CoV-2 than dogs, in line with experimental studies. Our large sample size provides for a reliable, statistically robust estimate of the frequency of infection of pets from their owners and offers strong support for the notion that cats are more sensitive to SARS-CoV-2 than dogs. Our findings emphasise the importance of a One-Health approach to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and raise the question of whether companion animals in close contact with humans should be vaccinated.

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Fritz, M., Elguero, E., Becquart, P., de Riols de Fonclare, D., Garcia, D., Beurlet, S., Denolly, S., Boson, B., Rosolen, S. G., Cosset, F.-L., Briend-Marchal, A., Legros, V., Leroy, E. M.. 2022-12-26. A large-scale serological survey in pets from October 2020 through June 2021 in France shows significantly higher exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in cats. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.12.23.521567

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