Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Dana Mihaela CREȚU, Maria Rodica GURĂU, Mihai TURCITU, Stelian BĂRĂITĂREANU
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there have been more and more studies and case-reports regarding the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to several animal species. In cats, SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility was proved through experimental infection and natural settings (direct contact with infected humans). In this paper, the real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase-chain-reaction (rRT-PCR) results obtained from four cats living in SARS-CoV-2-infected households in Bucharest (Romania) were described. All cases were indoor cats living in close contact with infected owners (in one household, owners were asymptomatic and, in the other households, owners had mild clinical signs). All the cats were lethargic and had a moderate loss of appetite. One cat was slightly dyspnoeic. The genomic material was extracted from deep oropharyngeal swabs using the QIAamp cador Pathogen Mini Kit. The rRT-PCR analysis used the CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel and primers designed to detect the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein gene, supplied by Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT, USA). The sample from the cat living with an asymptomatic family was negative, while cats of owners with clinical signs provided positive results, as follows: Ct(Cat#1)=27.04, Ct(Cat#2)=24.13, and Ct(Cat#4)=35.0. Results revealed the risk of indoor cats’ infection with SARS-CoV-2 in households where owners have COVID-19, especially if they show clinical signs.
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