It has been known for a long time that pets can become infected with the now widespread SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Publications about this were met in the scientific press. In St. Petersburg, a cat fell ill with human coronavirus, the condition of the animal was studied at the A.A. Smorodintseva. Outbreaks of coronavirus have occurred among minks on farms in Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Italy and the United States. The “crown” was found among dogs, tigers and lions. However, all these were cases when animals caught an infection from a person, and not vice versa.
But the question of whether there is a reverse transmission, whether the virus can mutate in the body of an animal, and then again jump onto a person, remains open. It is equally unclear whether domestic animals, our cats and dogs, can carry the “crown” on their fur and paws.
Anch Baranov, a virologist, Doctor of Biological Sciences, professor at the School of Systems Biology at George Mason University, cites in his Instagram an analysis of an article by Italian scientists from the scientific journal Viruses, who partly tried to answer these questions. The aim of the study was to test whether it is true that dogs and cats can act as passive mechanical carriers of coronavirus if they live in close contact with sick people.
The study involved 48 dogs and 15 cats belonging to COVID-19 patients. Skin and interdigital smears were collected from the animals, and the material was tested. The time elapsed between a positive swab from the owner and collection of a sample from the pet ranged from 1 to 72 days. The average time was determined to be 23 days for dogs and 39 days for cats.
The conclusion is reassuring. All samples were negative. That is, pets do not tolerate SARS-CoV-2 on wool and pads.
True, scientists do not exclude that after eating, for example, a napkin with virus particles, dogs can still share the virus with a person if they lick his face for joy. So hygiene measures when dealing with unfamiliar animals should be observed, as well as exclude “kisses” with pets of people with coronavirus.
