Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 RNA Shedding from Therapy Cat after Cluster Outbreak in Retirement Home
Claudia Schulz, Claudia Wylezich, Kerstin Wernike, Magdalena Gründl, Alexandra Dangel, Christine Baechlein, Donata Hoffmann, Susanne Röhrs, Sabrina Hepner, Nikolaus Ackermann, Andreas Sing, Isabelle Pink, Beate Länger, Holger A. Volk, Paul Becher, Gerd Sutter, Antonie Neubauer‐Juric, Maren von Köckritz‐Blickwede, Martin Beer, Asisa Volz
Abstract
We report a therapy cat in a nursing home in Germany infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 during a cluster outbreak in the home residents. Although we confirmed prolonged presence of virus RNA in the asymptomatic cat, genome sequencing showed no further role of the cat in human infections on site.
Topics & Concepts
OutbreakAsymptomaticVirologyCluster (spacecraft)Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)CoronavirusRNACoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)MedicineViral sheddingNursing homes2019-20 coronavirus outbreakVirusBiologyInternal medicineGeneGeneticsDiseaseNursingInfectious disease (medical specialty)Computer scienceProgramming languageSARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchAnimal Virus Infections StudiesVirus-based gene therapy research