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Vets warn of a possible link between a new variant of the coronavirus and heart problems in cats and dogs after an increase in the number of pets with myocarditis at a specialist veterinary hospital in Buckinghamshire during the second wave of the pandemic.
“We don’t want to panic unnecessarily, especially because at the moment we have a strong suspicion of human-to-pet transmission, but not the other way around – and we don’t know for sure. But vets need to be aware of this so they can begin testing if they suspect a potential case of Covid infection, ”said Luca Ferasin, cardiologist at the Ralph Veterinary Referral Center (RVRC) in Marlow, who led the research, which has not yet been peer reviewed.
The highly transmissible variant B117 was first detected in Kent in December and quickly became the dominant variant in circulation in the UK, accounting for around 95% of infections. It has been detected in at least 85 other countries around the world.
Although cats and dogs were infected with earlier variants, their symptoms were primarily respiratory; runny nose, cough, sneezing or conjunctivitis. The cases in Buckinghamshire are among the first documented animal infections with the B117 variant.
Ferasin and his team are asking his colleagues to be on the lookout for cats or dogs with symptoms of heart failure and to get them tested for the coronavirus – especially if their owners have recently been infected. Vets hope this will help them better understand how the new variant affects the two animals and their potential role in transmitting the virus.
Between December and February, Ferasin and his colleagues noticed an increase in the proportion of dogs and cats admitted to RVRC with myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle). The number of cases was not huge – only 18 in total – but was almost 10 times what the animal hospital would normally see at this time of year.
The animals were referred after developing symptoms suggestive of heart failure, including lethargy, lack of appetite, rapid breathing or shortness of breath, as well as a severe life-threatening arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). Two of the cases included episodes of fainting. Further tests revealed that they had myocarditis.
This increase in cases closely mirrored the curve and timeline of human Covid-19 cases that were being driven by the B117 variant at that time. Additionally, in most cases of myocarditis, the owner had exhibited symptoms of Covid or tested positive three to six weeks before their pet became ill. Many pets have also tested positive for the coronavirus.
However, unlike previously documented Sars-CoV-2 infections in cats and dogs, animals referred to RVRC did not exhibit any other respiratory symptoms.
Wondering if these heart abnormalities could be linked to the upsurge in human cases of Covid, Ferasin took blood samples and swabs from the nose, throat and rectum of six cats and a dog with myocarditis in between. January and early February. These have been tested for Sars-CoV-2, or antibodies against the virus. They also took blood samples from two cats and two dogs who were recovering from myocarditis in the intensive care unit. Of the 11 animals, two cats and one dog tested positive for the virus in their rectal samples, and two other cats and one dog had anti-Sars-CoV-2 antibodies in their blood. It is possible that others would have tested positive had these tests been carried out earlier, Ferasin said.
With the exception of one cat, which eventually had to be slaughtered, all of the animals recovered well after medical treatment. Covid has also been linked to heart damage in humans.
It is not yet known whether the virus caused the animal’s symptoms, said Margaret Hosie, professor of comparative virology at the Center for Virus Research at the University of Glasgow. “It is impossible to exclude the possibility that the excretion of Sars-CoV-2 is an incidental finding, and it is inevitable that a proposal from an animal population will test positive for [antibodies to coronavirus] coinciding with the peak of the second wave, ”she said.
At this point, it is also impossible to say what proportion of animals infected with the B117 variant could develop these heart problems. “We’re a little biased because we only see heart patients, and we only see critical patients,” Ferasin said. “My advice would be that if people suspect that something is wrong with their pet, they contact their vet.”
So far, only three other cases of the B117 variant have been reported in pets – all in the past few days: a cat and dog from the same household in Texas and a cat in Italy. In both households, the owners had also tested positive with B117.
Mick Bailey, professor of comparative immunology at the University of Bristol, said: “The ability of earlier strains to infect cats and dogs has been established, both in the UK and elsewhere. The Ferasin article demonstrates that B117 can infect cats and dogs as well, but we shouldn’t be too surprised. Since it appears to be more easily transmitted to humans, we also shouldn’t be surprised if it could be better at infecting cats and dogs.
“While infection from animals to humans is also theoretically possible, the success of locking down social interactions between humans strongly suggests that interactions between animals are not a major problem.”
Hosie said: “The message to pet owners is the same – if you have Covid-19, be aware that it can be transmitted to pets, then avoid contact with your pet and, if that is not possible , wear a mask, for example when preparing food for the animal. “
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