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. 2021 Apr 23;223(8):1313-1321.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiab104.

Susceptibility and Attenuated Transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 in Domestic Cats

Linlin Bao  1   2 , Zhiqi Song  1   2 , Jing Xue  1   2 , Hong Gao  1   2 , Jiangning Liu  1   2 , Jie Wang  1   2 , Qian Guo  2 , Binbin Zhao  1   2 , Yajin Qu  1   2 , Feifei Qi  1   2 , Shuran Gong  1   2 , Mingya Liu  1   2 , Qi Lv  1   2 , Dan Li  1   2 , Yunlin Han  1   2 , Wenjie Zhao  1   2 , Shoulong Deng  2 , Yunpeng Liu  2 , Zhiguang Xiang  2 , Bochao Yang  2 , Wei Deng  1   2 , Haisheng Yu  1   2 , Zhe Cong  1   2 , Qiang Wei  1   2 , Jianguo Xu  3 , George F Gao  4 , Chuan Qin  1   2
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Susceptibility and Attenuated Transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 in Domestic Cats

Linlin Bao et al. J Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Domestic cats, an important companion animal, can be infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). This has aroused concern regarding the ability of domestic cats to spread the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019. We systematically demonstrated the pathogenesis and transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 in cats. Serial passaging of the virus between cats dramatically attenuated the viral transmissibility, likely owing to variations of the amino acids in the receptor-binding domain sites of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 between humans and cats. These findings provide insight into the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 in cats and information for protecting the health of humans and cats.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; cats; pathogenesis; susceptibility; transmissibility.

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