New SARS-CoV-2 Infection Detected in an Italian Pet Cat by RT-qPCR from Deep Pharyngeal Swab

Abstract

The pandemic respiratory disease COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in Wuhan in December 2019 and then spread throughout the world; Italy was the most affected European country. Despite close pet-human contact, little is known about the predisposition of pets to SARS-CoV-2. Among these, felines are the most susceptible. In this study, a domestic cat with clear clinical signs of pneumonia, confirmed by Rx imaging, was found to be infected by SARS-CoV-2 using quantitative RT-qPCR from a nasal swab. This is the first Italian study responding to the request of the scientific community to focus attention on the possible role of pets as a viral reservoir. An important question remains unanswered: did the cat actually die due to SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Keywords: RNA-extraction; SARS-CoV-2; pet cat; pneumonia.

Figure 1

Clinical evaluation of the feline: biochemical and hematological parameters and X-ray imaging. (a) biochemical and hematological parameters of the collected blood sample. GPT (ALT): Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase; ALP: Alkaline Phosphatase; GB: WBC (White Blood Cells); Lin.: Lymphocytes; Mon.: Monocytes; Neu.: Neutrophils; Eo.: Eosinophils; Ba.: Basophils; Hb: Hemoglobin; PLT: Platelets; MPV: Mean platelet volume; PDW: Platelet Distribution Width; Pct: Plateletcrit. (b) Lung X-ray diagnostic imaging. The opaque region of the image represents the ROI (Region of Interest) and reveals presence of pneumonia.