This level of testing to monitor the virus and its potentially more-dangerous variants is done by sequencing as many positive human samples of the virus as possible.
In the Arizona case study, the pet owner, cat, and dog all were infected with the identical strain of coronavirus: B.1.575, an early and unremarkable version of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Fewer than 25 documented cases exist of Arizonans infected with this strain, according to information drawn from the COVID variant tracking dashboard that TGen maintains for the CDC and ADHS. To date, more than 46,000 positive samples of Arizonans with COVID have been sequenced.
Researchers deduced that the virus spread from the pet parent to either the dog or cat or both. The animals were confined to an apartment and therefore had little-to-no opportunity to be exposed to the virus, and so it was highly unlikely that the pets infected their owner.
Plus, in each case examined in the study, it was the pet parent who exhibited COVID first. Worldwide, there is no documented case of COVID transmission from a pet to its pet parent.
These findings show that pet owners should protect their pets by getting vaccinated. If they do get COVID, they should wear masks when they are around their pets.
If the pet parent was not yet vaccinated, take a little precaution to protect his cat and dog, and entertain guests who were not vaccinated. The owner recovered from COVID, and both his pets were asymptomatic.
The study will continue through the rest of 2021 and would continue into 2022 if researchers obtain additional funding, which would allow them to continue education and outreach efforts, bolstering active surveillance of the virus.
This study shows that we can not only use genomics to help track COVID variants across the globe, but also to track exact transmissions, and in this case transmission from pet owners to pets.
Source: Medindia
