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. 2021 Aug 18;13(8):1634.
doi: 10.3390/v13081634.

Serological Screening for Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in Dutch Shelter Cats

W J R van der Leij  1 , Els M Broens  2 , Jan Willem Hesselink  3 , Nancy Schuurman  4 , Johannes C M Vernooij  5 , Herman F Egberink  4
Affiliations

Serological Screening for Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in Dutch Shelter Cats

W J R van der Leij et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic raised concerns that companion animals might be infected with, and could become a reservoir of, SARS-CoV-2. As cats are popular pets and susceptible to Coronavirus, we investigated the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in shelter cats housed in Dutch animal shelters during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this large-scale cross-sectional study, serum samples of shelter cats were collected during the second wave of human COVID-19 infections in The Netherlands. Seroprevalence was determined by using an indirect protein-based ELISA validated for cats, and a Virus Neutralization Test (VNT) as confirmation. To screen for feline SARS-CoV-2 shedding, oropharyngeal and rectal swabs of cats positive for ELISA and/or VNT were analyzed using PCR tests. In 28 Dutch animal shelters, 240 shelter cats were convenience sampled. Two of these cats (0.8%; CI 95%: 0.1-3.0%) were seropositive, as evidenced by the presence of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. The seropositive animals tested PCR negative for SARS-CoV-2. Based on the results of this study, it is unlikely that shelter cats could be a reservoir of SARS-CoV-2 or pose a (significant) risk to public health.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); animal shelter; neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 antibody; one health; serology; seroprevalence; shelter medicine; titer.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Outline of Dutch municipalities (apricot color) served by the participating animal shelters in this study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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