Does SARS-CoV-2 really infect cats and spread through it?

  Researchers began to study cats to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2, and soon collected daily breath samples from cats across the UK for SARS-CoV-2 screening, and sent information to the veterinarian. I sent a request for samples of suspicious cases. After screening hundreds of samples, the researchers finally found the SARS-CoV-2 virus in cats in southern England. The cat was sampled in mid-May, and subsequent results indicated that the virus produced antibodies in the cat. In other words, the researchers also confirmed that this does not seem to be a simple case of sample contamination, because they have actually been infected with SARS-CoV-2,

  Researchers pointed out that the cat's infected person may be the cat of SARS-CoV-2 infected person. At this time, the chief veterinary officer of the world has notified the World Animal Health Bureau and issued a warning to the public. So, what does this situation tell us? This study is consistent with the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom. Researchers focused on cats with respiratory symptoms and found hundreds of screening objects, namely infected cats. Infections are relatively rare.

  This confirmed cat has symptoms of mild illness, such as tears and nasal discharge, which seem to be consistent with feline herpes virus infection. At the same time, the cat's test result is also positive. There is no evidence that SARS-CoV-2 made the cat ill, but fortunately the cat and its owner fully recovered later. To date, about 18 million people have been tested for COVID-19, but researchers rarely find cases of cat infection.

  Therefore, according to existing research, cats do not seem to be involved in the COVID-19 epidemic. However, surveillance is also very important. Surveillance has recently killed 1 million mink in the Netherlands and Spain (presumably related to the spread of the disease). For cats infected with SARS-CoV-2, the researchers suspect that the cat’s infection only represents a human epidemic, and the researchers are now studying the viral genomes in individual cases found. Analyze the sequence to test the hypothesis.

  The findings of this article or other findings, such as the cost of researchers from the United States, experimental cat infection may be a short-term infection, and provide some protection for pets. We can also provide. Finally, the researchers said that cats are most likely to carry the corona virus and, if present, may not participate in the spread of COVID-19.