COVID-19 transmissible to animals?


The news that a tiger from the Bronx zoo contracted COVID-19 has caused concern among cat owners. But even if a few precautions are taken, there is nothing to indicate that your tomcats and other pets are at risk of getting sick or infecting humans.



For Nadia, it started with a dry cough and a lack of appetite. She was tested for COVID-19, which was found to be positive. The story resembles that of thousands of people on the planet these days. The difference: Nadia is a female Malaysian tiger who lives at the Bronx Zoo in New York.
We know that the virus that causes COVID-19 has gone from animals to humans, perhaps via a pangolin, to become a virus that can be transmitted between humans. But in this case, it seems to have gone the other way. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, everything indicates that it was a zoo keeper who probably passed Nadia the virus.

 This transmission from human to animal raises important questions. Should owners of cats and other pets be afraid of contaminating them? And can these animals become a reservoir of the virus and transmit it again to humans? A Chinese study published Wednesday in the prestigious journal Science created a certain commotion. She suggests that cats and ferrets can develop COVID-19. Other animals such as dogs, ducks, hens and pigs are much less susceptible to the virus. Note that even infected cats did not experience any serious symptoms.

 Levon Abrahamyan, a specialist in infectious diseases in animals and professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Montreal, however believes that this study should be taken with caution.

 “This study brings very preliminary conclusions. It was done in an emergency, was poorly designed and the results are questionable, even doubtful. I'm very surprised that Science published it, ”he says. The journal Science has confirmed to the press that article was the subject of a peer review, even if the evaluation process has been "adjustments" due to Covid-19.
Like other specialists, Levon Abrahamyan points out that Chinese researchers injected large doses of the virus directly into the respiratory tract of animals in order to infect them. "It is an artificial design that does not reflect the actual transmission conditions," he says.

 Linda Saif, professor of veterinary medicine at Ohio State University, wrote a review of the Science article published on the website of the journal Nature. She also believes that the protocol used does not represent the actual interactions between humans and animals. In a written note sent to La Presse, she points out that only three anecdotal cases of transmission of COVID-19 from humans to pets have been reported worldwide in recent months. They concern two dogs in Hong Kong and a cat in Belgium. Note that the dogs showed no symptoms and had a low viral load. Considering the number of people affected by COVID-19 and the strong interactions that exist between humans and pets, these numbers are extremely low.

 "For cat owners, there is nothing to be alarmed about," said Linda Saif. She writes that even in the case of cats infected with high doses of the virus by Chinese researchers, there is "no direct evidence" that these animals could possibly transmit the virus to humans.

Precautions to take


As a precautionary measure, Levon Abrahamyan nevertheless recommends that, as far as possible, it is an uninfected person who takes care of domestic pets in the family.
"This strategy will reduce contact between the infected person and the animal. Since the animal's fur may be contaminated with coronavirus, the animal could be considered a contaminated surface, ”he says.

 In short, by this strategy, the specialist simply wants to prevent the fur of an often flattered animal from being used as a vector to transmit the virus, as can be the case for a table, a pencil or any other object.

 The researchers agree, however, that the case of contamination of the New York tiger will require more research. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that three other tigers and three lions from the same zoo experienced symptoms similar to those of the tiger Nadia. However, they have not been tested. These big cats must be anesthetized for screening, hence the decision not to test them all.

 "At the moment, there is no evidence to suggest that any animal, including pets and livestock, can spread COVID-19 to humans," writes the United States Department of Agriculture on its website. .

 Note that even if the Chinese study is criticized, its conclusions are not without scientific interest. Chinese researchers suggest that the ferret, whose cells can replicate the virus, could serve as a model for carrying out all kinds of scientific experiments on COVID-19.


Source :
Philippe MERCURE
LA PRESSE

https://www.lapresse.ca/covid-19/202004/08/01-5268611-la-covid-19-transmissible-aux-animaux.php

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