Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant (B.1.617.2) in Domestic Dogs and Zoo Tigers in England and Jersey during 2021

Reverse zoonotic transmission events of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been described since the start of the pandemic, and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) designated the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in animals a reportable disease. Eighteen domestic and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Viruses
Main Authors: Amanda H. Seekings, Rebecca Shipley, Alexander M. P. Byrne, Shweta Shukla, Megan Golding, Joan Amaya-Cuesta, Hooman Goharriz, Ana Gómez Vitores, Fabian Z. X. Lean, Joe James, Alejandro Núñez, Alistair Breed, Andrew Frost, Jörg Balzer, Ian H. Brown, Sharon M. Brookes, Lorraine M. McElhinney
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024
Subjects:
SARS-CoV-2
Delta variant
reverse zoonosis
dog
cat
tiger
Microbiology
QR1-502
Canis lupus
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/v16040617
https://doaj.org/article/8e3f095ad45a44078c849c62bc62c855
Description
Summary:Reverse zoonotic transmission events of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been described since the start of the pandemic, and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) designated the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in animals a reportable disease. Eighteen domestic and zoo animals in Great Britain and Jersey were tested by APHA for SARS-CoV-2 during 2020–2023. One domestic cat ( Felis catus ), three domestic dogs ( Canis lupus familiaris ), and three Amur tigers ( Panthera tigris altaica ) from a zoo were confirmed positive during 2020–2021 and reported to the WOAH. All seven positive animals were linked with known SARS-CoV-2 positive human contacts. Characterisation of the SARS-CoV-2 variants by genome sequencing indicated that the cat was infected with an early SARS-CoV-2 lineage. The three dogs and three tigers were infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant of concern (B.1.617.2). The role of non-human species in the onward transmission and emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 remain poorly defined. Continued surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in relevant domestic and captive animal species with high levels of human contact is important to monitor transmission at the human−animal interface and to assess their role as potential animal reservoirs.

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