COVID-19 infections in pets such as cats and dogs

Abstract

Coronaviruses are a very large group of virus families that can cause diseases in both different animal species and humans. Infections with different coronaviruses are seen in cats and dogs. The epidemic due to COVID-19 infection and its etiological agent SARS-CoV-2, which is a coronavirus, continues to spread very rapidly all over the world. In this article, we aimed to compile published studies on COVID-19 infections in cats and dogs, which we are in close contact with. When the studies were examined, it was understood that cats were more sensitive to SARS-CoV-2 than dogs after contact with COVID-19 positive individuals in quarantine. Cats may show symptoms in case of infection, compared to dogs. The RBD region where SARS-CoV-2 binds to ACE2 receptors is reported more similar to humans in cats than dogs. ACE2 protein seemed very similar to humans in both cats and dogs compared to other mammals. ACE2 receptor is highly expressed in different tissues of them, according to the study data examined. In a conclusion, SARS-CoV-2 can be detected because ACE2 is frequently expressed in different tissues in domestic animals such as cats and dogs, and the binding site is similar to human ACE2 receptors. In order to prevent zoonotic infections such as COVID-19 infections during the epidemic period when different disciplines need to work together with a single health approach, we believe that molecular surveillance studies should be carried out on our close friends such as cats and dogs. The data should be presented in public database and followed.