New Study Suggests an Unknown COVID-19 Outbreak Among Household Pets

Study found out that about one out of five pets that stayed with a previously infected owner possessed antibodies themselves, but these animals didn't become very sick.

(Photo : Getty Images)

Pets and Diseases

Having close contact with your pets during the pandemic may be much more dangerous than believed - for the pets, that is. New research that came out this week proposes humans are frequently passing covid-19 infections on to their pets, though these animals don't seem to transmit it further to other humans in the home.

Although majority of the infections from covid-19 tend to be less serious or asymptomatic, the discoveries may prompt extra caution for pet owners who got the viral illness.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been reports of animals getting the virus that brought about covid-19. Dogs, cats - whether big or small,  minks and otters (members of the weasel family), are all known to have gotten the virus, mostly through contact with humans.

With the exclusion of minks, majority of these cases are believed to have been less serious than the usual illness humans can contract and possibly be an origin of further transmission.

Also Read: Dogs Can Detect COVID-19 Cases Faster Than PCR Test, Including Asymptomatic Cases

Scientist Performs Test on Pets

Most studies carried out on animals getting coronavirus have been restricted to experiments in the laboratory or isolated incidents. This new preliminary research, which was presented this week at the European Congress of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, seems like one of the first to attempt quantifying how frequent these cases may be occuring.

Netherland' Veterinary researchers headed by Els Broens of Utrecht University, commandeered a mobile clinic and went to the homes of about 200 families where one member at least was known to have gotten the coronavirus at some point.

Then carried out tests on their cats and dogs for any present infection of the coronavirus, and also for antibodies that will enable them know if the animal has been exposed before. A sum of 154 cats and 156 dogs were tested.

(Photo : Getty Images)

The Outcome

Then, it was revealed that 4.2% of the animals possess an active infection, while 17% had antibodies. But the pets appeared to show not too many symptoms when infected.

The researchers also discovered some evidence of these infections that is transmitted from pets to other members of the home, both other pets, proposing that humans were almost the only sure source of these mini-outbreaks.

Most scientists thought that the initial strains of the covid-19 possibly passed over from animals to humans, and during outbreaks at mink farms, minks transmitted the germ to humans. But today, there have been no verified cases of covid-19 pet-to-human transmission.

Broens told Reuters: "About one in five pets will get the disease from their keepers, fortunately, the animals do not get too sick from it."

Related Article: Scientists: Dogs May Detect the Coronavirus in Humans

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