Cat infected with COVID-19 virus from its owner in Belgium

This is the first case of transmission of a new coronavirus infection from a person to a cat.

In Belgium, a domestic cat was infected with the COVID-19 virus, a disease caused by a new coronavirus infection that is now spreading around the world, the Belgian Ministry of Health said on Wednesday March 27, according to a news report.



This is the first transmission of a new human to cat coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) . About a week after its owner got the COVID-19 virus, after returning from a trip to Northern Italy , the cat developed symptoms of coronavirus : diarrhea, vomiting, and breathing problems, Steven Van Gucht told Live Science., virologist and federal representative for the coronavirus epidemic in Belgium.

The owner sent samples of vomiting and feces to the laboratory of Dr. Daniel Desmecht, who works at the Liège Veterinary Medicine Department. Genetic tests showed a high level of SARS-CoV-2 in these samples. “The cat recovered after 9 days,” Van Gucht shared.
According to Van Gucht, cats and humans on the surface of the respiratory cells have a similar “doorknob” that allows the SARS-CoV-2 virus to enter.

Scientists have found that in humans, the SARS-CoV-2 virus attaches to a receptor protein called ACE2, which is located outside of the respiratory cells. Once inside these cells, the virus captures certain mechanisms so that it can multiply.

“The feline ACE2 protein resembles the human ACE2 homolog, which is most likely the cellular receptor that the SARS-CoV-2 virus uses to enter cells,” Van Gucht said.

According to Van Gucht, during an outbreak of SARS in 2003, cats were infected with coronavirus.

The only other pets that were supposed to “pick up” the new coronavirus from the owners were two dogs in Hong Kong. Edition Live Science reported that the first dog, a 17-year-old Pomeranian, was a weak positive for the virus at the end of February. The dog died in mid-March, although the exact cause of death is unknown, as the owner did not allow an autopsy. Edition of Bloomberg reportedthat the second dog, a German shepherd, showed a positive result, but she had no symptoms of the disease.

Dogs and cats were infected with a low level of the virus during an outbreak of another coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), said animal health expert Vanessa Barrs from the City University Hong Kong newspaper to the South China Morning Post.
There were no reports that domestic animals transmit the virus to their human owners, and Van Gucht emphasized that even human-to-animal transmission of the virus is not a serious way to spread the virus.

“We believe that the cat is a by-product of the current epidemic among humans and does not play an important role in the spread of the virus,” he said.

According to Van Gucht, to finally prove that the cat was infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, scientists will need a blood test for the presence of antibodies specific to this virus. These tests will be performed when the cat is no longer in quarantine.