May 12, 2021

Cross-Sectional Serosurvey of Companion Animals Housed with SARS-CoV-2-Infected Owners, Italy

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Vaccines and Immunity

Keywords (Tags): animal, immunity

• Anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) antibodies were detected in 7% of pets (14 of 198) in a serosurvey conducted in Italy from March to June 2020. All 14 seropositive animals lived with SARS-CoV-2-infected owners. In the households of SARS-CoV-2–infected owners, 20% (11 of 54) of cats and 3% (3 of 93) of dogs were seropositive. The proportion of seropositive pets increased with length of exposure, with all 14 cases classified as positive after ≥54 days of exposure. Clinical signs, such as cough and sneezing, were observed in 5 of 14 seropositive animals.

Colitti et al. (May 11, 2021). Cross-Sectional Serosurvey of Companion Animals Housed with SARS-CoV-2-Infected Owners, Italy. Emerging Infectious Diseases.  https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/7/20-3314_article