Sailor Moon / Toei Animation, 1992-1997
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Spanish veterinarians have identified SARS-CoV-2 in a domestic cat that belonged to the owner who died from this infection. Unlike previous cases, the virus was detected after the animal died. Most likely, the cause of his death was chronic diseases. However, how celebrate authors in an article for the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, it cannot be ruled out that SARS-CoV-2 aggravated their course.
Most scientists associate the origin of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 with wild animals. The initial reservoir of infection may have been bats, and it was transmitted to humans through an intermediate host, the species of which has not yet been established. According to the most popular, but not yet confirmed hypothesis, it was a pangolin – the host varied coronavirus, the meat of which is popular in Chinese cooking and medicine.
Humans, in turn, can infect other animals with SARS-CoV-2. So far, such cases are few: it is reliably known about the transmission of the virus to several domestic dogs and catsas well as minks from Dutch fur farms and lions and tigers at the Bronx Zoo. However, experts seriously fear that if the infection takes root in populations of wild animals, it will be much more difficult to defeat it. In addition, infection with the new virus could seriously affect the numbers of many mammalian species. This primarily applies to great apes and other primates.
Until now, it was believed that domestic cats who took SARS-CoV-2 tolerated it relatively easily. Recently, however, a sadder incident occurred in Spain. A local resident who had two cats died from coronavirus. The orphaned animals were taken away by his relatives, who also had been ill with COVID-19, but in a moderate form.
After some time, the new owners noticed severe shortness of breath in one of the cats (a four-year-old cross between European and Persian breeds) and consulted a veterinarian. The examination showed that the level of platelets in the animal’s blood is extremely low, and the lungs are inflamed. Additional examination made it possible to diagnose feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. At the same time, no traces of feline immunodeficiency virus or feline leukemia virus were detected in the blood.
The cat was left overnight in a veterinary clinic, but by morning the animal’s condition deteriorated so much that it was decided to euthanize it. An autopsy showed that the cat had severe pulmonary edema, thrombosis of small and medium pulmonary vessels, fibrosis of the left ventricle and interventricular walls, as well as a number of other changes in internal organs. And PCR analysis of swabs from the nose and turbinates (as well as lymph node tissues) revealed the presence of SARS-CoV-2. In addition, the cat blood sample contained antibodies to the virus.
The new coronavirus is unlikely to be the direct cause of the animal’s death. Even before infection, the cat suffered from chronic problems with the cardiovascular system, so in the end it was they who could destroy it. This version is supported by the fact that the virus could not be detected in the tissues of the lungs. However, the authors do not exclude that SARS-CoV-2 could exacerbate already existing diseases.
The second cat, which belonged to the late Spaniard, most likely also contracted SARS-CoV-2. This is evidenced by antibodies to the virus in her blood. However, she showed no signs of illness. According to the authors, both cats contracted the virus from their owners – however, it is unclear whether from the old or from the new.
SARS-CoV-2 is not the only virus that humans can infect domestic cats with. Other examples include the flu virus, staphylococcus aureus, and even tuberculosis. This burning topic is covered in more detail in our material. “An ambulance is going to a man with a cat”.
Sergey Kolenov
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