SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in dogs and cats in a highly infected area of Brazil during the pandemic
Samar Afif Jarrah, Louise Bach Kmetiuk, Fabrizia Valleriani, Barbara Bonfini, Alessio Lorusso, Violetta Iris Vasinioti, Nicola Decaro, Marco Tulio dos Santos, Kledir Anderson Hofstaetter Spohr, Annamaria Pratelli, Anna Serroni, Sara Capista, Valéria Régia Franco Sousa, Alexander Welker Biondo, Luciano Nakazato, Valéria Dutra
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 was a worldwide threat during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the state of Mato Grosso had the second highest mortality rate in Brazil, with 427. 4 deaths/100,000 inhabitants. However, no large-scale study among dogs and cats in such highly infected areas of Brazil has so far been conducted. Accordingly, the present study reports on a serosurvey among dogs and cats in Cuiabá, capital of Mato Grosso from November 2020 to July 2021, where the human mortality rate was 605/100,000 at that time. Overall, 33/762 dogs (4.3%) and 4/182 cats (2.2%) were found to be seropositive for SARS-CoV-2 through ELISA, and 3/762 dogs (0.4%) and 3/182 cats (1.6%) were seropositive through the serum neutralization test. Cats presented higher seroprevalence with higher titers of neutralizing antibodies. Although N-protein based ELISA may be a good screening test, cross-reactivity with other canine coronaviruses may impair its diagnostic use among dogs.