Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

June 2, 2020

Pathogenesis Transmission and Response to Re-Exposure of SARS-CoV-2 in Domestic Cats

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  • [pre-print, not peer reviewed] Bosco-Lauth et al. showed that cats are susceptible to subclinical infection with SARS-CoV-2, capable of direct transmission to other cats, have prolonged viral shedding for up to 5 days, and develop a neutralizing antibody response that prevents reinfection. Dogs also developed an antibody response but were found to not shed the virus after infection. None of the animals exhibited any clinical signs of disease during the study. 
  • The authors conclude that these results suggest that it is unlikely that domestic pets can be a significant source of infection, and that neutralizing antibody titers may have implications for vaccine development for humans. 

Bosco-Lauth et al. (June 1, 2020). Pathogenesis Transmission and Response to Re-Exposure of SARS-CoV-2 in Domestic Cats. Preprint downloaded June 2 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.28.120998