By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Sept. 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Cat enthusiasts, be knowledgeable: New exploration suggests that COVID-19 may be extra prevalent in cats than previously imagined.

Scientists analyzed blood samples taken from 102 cats in between January and March 2020 in Wuhan, China, just after the world’s to start with regarded outbreak of COVID-19 began in that metropolis.

Fifteen of the cats experienced COVID-19 antibodies in their blood, and 11 of individuals cats experienced neutralizing antibodies that bind to the coronavirus and block infection.

None of the cats examined beneficial for COVID-19 or experienced clear indicators, and none of them died through adhere to-up, in accordance to the study released on line Sept. one in the journal Emerging Microbes & Bacterial infections.

The cats in the study included forty six from 3 animal shelters, forty one from 5 pet hospitals, and fifteen from people with COVID-19 patients.

The greatest levels of antibodies have been found in 3 cats owned by patients who’d been identified with COVID-19, but there have been also symptoms of cats becoming infected with the virus by other cats from shelters or from pet hospitals.

Though there is at the moment no evidence of transmission of the new coronavirus in between humans and cats, folks ought to look at having precautions, claimed study writer Meilin Jin, from Huazhong Agricultural College, in Wuhan.

“Despite the fact that the infection in stray cats could not be absolutely comprehended, it is sensible to speculate that these infections are likely due to the make contact with with SARS-CoV-2 polluted environment, or COVID-19 patients who fed the cats,” Jin claimed in a journal information launch.

“Therefore, steps ought to be deemed to maintain a suitable length in between COVID-19 patients and companion animals these kinds of as cats and puppies, and hygiene and quarantine steps ought to also be recognized for individuals higher-risk animals,” Jin mentioned.

Just one of the findings was that the antibodies response in cats infected with the new coronavirus was related to that found in response to seasonal coronavirus infections, which suggests that cats who’ve been infected with the new coronavirus “stay at risk of re-infection,” in accordance to the scientists.

This antibody response is related to what is actually found in humans.

“We advise that cats have a wonderful potential as an animal model for examining the characteristic of antibody versus SARS-CoV-2 in humans,” the study authors concluded.

WebMD News from HealthDay

Sources

Resource:Emerging Microbes & Bacterial infections, information launch, Sept. one, 2020



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