Report Shows Arizona Man Infected His Dog, Cat With COVID-19

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) — An Arizona man contaminated his canine and cat with the brand new coronavirus, in response to a brand new case research that researchers say is the primary within the United States to make use of genetics to doc such transmission.

The proprietor wasn’t vaccinated, did little to guard his pets, and had houseguests who weren’t vaccinated. The proprietor recovered from COVID-19 and each pets have been asymptomatic. However, genetic testing confirmed that the proprietor, cat and canine all have been contaminated with an equivalent pressure of coronavirus, and the virus unfold from the proprietor to both the canine or cat, or each, the researchers concluded.

They defined that the pets have been confined to an condominium and had little or no alternative to be uncovered to the virus independently, so it is extremely unlikely that they contaminated their proprietor. Also, it was the pets’ human who exhibited COVID signs first.

The ongoing research is one in all 5 pilot research nationwide inspecting COVID-19 in animals, however it’s the just one to incorporate genomic sequencing of the virus from each pets and house owners.

“This case research was the primary instance we had from the venture that demonstrated the chance of virus transmission from a pet proprietor to animals within the family,” mentioned report writer Hayley Yaglom, an epidemiologist on the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Flagstaff, Ariz.

To defend their pets, house owners ought to get vaccinated. If they do get COVID-19, they need to put on masks after they’re round their pets and never cuddle or kiss them, or enable them to lick their faces or sleep with them, Yaglom suggested.

While it isn’t essential to utterly isolate from their pets, house owners with COVID-19 signs ought to reduce contact as “finest they will,” Yaglom mentioned in an institute information launch.

As of Sept. 1, greater than 180 canines and cats have examined optimistic for coronavirus within the United States, in response to the researchers.

The research was printed Nov. 1 within the journal One Health.

“This is a superb instance of utilizing genomics to realize intelligence about pathogens,” mentioned David Engelthaler, director of TGen’s Pathogen and Microbiome Division. “This research exhibits that we cannot solely use genomics to assist monitor COVID variants throughout the globe, however we are able to additionally use this know-how to trace precise transmissions and, on this case, transmission from pet house owners to pets.”

More info

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extra on pets and COVID-19.

SOURCE: Translational Genomics Research Institute, Nov. 1, 2021