Infection of dogs with SARS-CoV-2
Thomas H. C. Sit, Christopher J. Brackman, Sin Ming Ip, Karina W. S. Tam, Pierra Y. T. Law, Esther M. W. To, Veronica Y. T. Yu, Leslie D. Sims, Dominic N. C. Tsang, Daniel K. W. Chu, Ranawaka A. P. M. Perera, Leo L. M. Poon & Malik Peiris
Nature (2020)
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 emerged in Wuhan in December 2019 and caused the pandemic respiratory disease, COVID-191,2. In 2003, the closely related SARS-CoV had been detected in domestic cats and a dog3. However, little is known about the susceptibility of domestic pet mammals to SARS-CoV-2. Two out of fifteen dogs from households with confirmed human cases of COVID-19 in Hong Kong SAR were found to be infected using quantitative RT–PCR, serology, sequencing the viral genome, and in one dog, virus isolation. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in a 17-year-old neutered male Pomeranian from five nasal swabs collected over a 13-day period. A 2.5-year-old male German Shepherd dog had SARS CoV-2 RNA on two occasions and virus was isolated from nasal and oral swabs. Both dogs had antibody responses detected using plaque reduction neutralization assays.
