@article{Jones_S-2023_146078,
title = {SARS-CoV-2 in domestic UK cats from Alpha to Omicron: Swab surveillance and case reports},
author = {Jones, S. and Tyson, G. and Orton, R. and Smollett, K. and Manna, F. and Kwok, K. and Suarez, N. and Logan, N. and McDonald, M. and Bowie, A. and da Silva Filipe, A. and Willett, B. and Weir, W. and Hosie, M.},
month = {aug},
year = {2023},
abstract = {Although domestic cats are susceptible to infection with SARS-CoV-2, the role of the virus in causing feline disease is less well defined. We conducted a large-scale study to identify SARS-CoV-2 infections in UK pet cats, using active and passive surveillance. Remnant feline respiratory swab samples, submitted for other pathogen testing between May 2021 and February 2023, were screened using RT-qPCR. In addition, we appealed to veterinarians for swab samples from cats suspected of having clinical SARS-CoV-2 infections. Bespoke testing for SARS-CoV-2 neutralising antibodies was also performed, on request, in suspected cases. One RT-qPCR-positive cat was identified by active surveillance (1/549, 0.18%), during the Delta wave (1/175, 0.57%). Passive surveillance detected one cat infected with the Alpha variant, and two of ten cats tested RT-qPCR-positive during the Delta wave. No cats tested RT-qPCR-positive after the emergence of Omicron BA.1 and its descendants although 374 were tested by active and eleven by passive surveillance. We describe four cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pet cats, identified by RT-qPCR and/or serology, that presented with a range of clinical signs, as well as their SARS-CoV-2 genom},
volume = {15},
issue = {8},
journal = {Viruses},
publisher = {MDPI},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/v15081769},
}
