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. 2022 Aug;69(5):587-592.
doi: 10.1111/zph.12944. Epub 2022 Apr 14.

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) from a fully vaccinated human to a canine in Georgia, July 2021

Natalie M Wendling  1 , Ann Carpenter  1 , Amanda Liew  1 , Ria R Ghai  1 , Nadia Gallardo-Romero  1 , Robyn A Stoddard  1 , Ying Tao  1 , Jing Zhang  1 , Adam C Retchless  1 , Ausaf Ahmad  1 , Paige Bunkley  1 , Claire Godino  1 , Matthew R Mauldin  1 , Kate Varela  1 , Jana M Ritter  1 , Janemarie Hennebelle  2 , Amanda Feldpausch  3 , Julie Gabel  3 , Markus H Kainulainen  1 , Owen Herzegh  1 , Suxiang Tong  1 , Jessica R Spengler  1 , Casey Barton Behravesh  1
Affiliations

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) from a fully vaccinated human to a canine in Georgia, July 2021

Natalie M Wendling et al. Zoonoses Public Health. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 infection has been described in a wide range of species, including domestic animals such as dogs and cats. Illness in dogs is usually self-limiting, and further diagnostics may not be pursued if clinical signs resolve or they respond to empirical treatment. As new variants emerge, the clinical presentation and role in transmission may vary in animals. This report highlights different clinical presentations and immunological responses in two SARS-CoV-2 Delta-variant-positive dogs with similar exposure to the same fully vaccinated human with a SARS-CoV-2 infection and emphasizes the need for active surveillance and additional One Health research on SARS-CoV-2 variant infections in companion animals and other species.

Keywords: COVID-19; Delta; One Health; SARS-CoV-2; companion animal.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there were no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Duration of clinical signs and diagnostic and serological results in the owner and two household dogs tested positive for the SARS‐CoV‐2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2). The owner tested positive by rRT‐PCR on 17 July 2021; oropharyngeal and/or nasal swab specimens from Dogs 1 and 2 were found to be positive by rRT‐PCR on 21 July 2021. Serological analysis detected anti‐receptor binding domain (anti‐RBD) antibodies in Dog 1 at all three of the subsequent serum collection time points up to 4 weeks following the detection of viral RNA, whereas Dog 2 was serologically non‐reactive
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