SARS-CoV-2 infections in cats: assessing their zoonotic potential and role in sustaining the COVID-19 pandemic

SARS-CoV-2是一种新的动物源性冠状病毒，最近出现在人类身上，并在世界范围内迅速传播。SARS-CoV-2很可能成为人类的地方性病毒，有可能导致与人类生活在一起的动物感染。有零星报告称，在有COVID-19患者的家庭中，宠物猫受到感染，这表明猫对SARS-CoV-2感染易感。这意味着猫有可能成为病毒的宿主，或其他物种的感染源。实验性感染已经证明，猫对SARS-CoV-2感染易感，受感染的猫能够将SARS-CoV-2传播给其他猫。该病毒在呼吸道中复制，并且可在鼻洗液、口咽和直肠拭子中检测到传染性病毒。此外，在粪便和偶尔的尿液中检测到病毒的痕迹。人类感染猫的风险以及猫作为SARS-CoV-2储存库的可能性尚不清楚。鉴于最近在荷兰和丹麦有报道称SARS-CoV-2从人类跳到水貂身上，在水貂之间传播，然后跳回到人类身上，有必要进一步研究对COVID-19易感的动物，包括家养宠物。在这个项目中，我们将调查家猫对SARS-CoV-2感染的易感性，以及随着大流行的进展，家猫将病毒传播给猫和其他物种的能力。SARS-CoV-2成功地从人类跨物种转移到猫身上，不仅扩大了病毒的宿主范围，而且还可能为人类和其他物种产生额外的感染源，这将使SARS-CoV-2的消除更加复杂。只有通过评估从猫身上分离的SARS-CoV-2病毒感染其他物种（包括人类）的潜力，才有可能有效地衡量和控制病毒传播到所有潜在的易感物种。

SARS-CoV-2 is a new coronavirus of animal origin that recently emerged in humans and has spread rapidly across the world. It is likely that SARS-CoV-2 will establish as an endemic virus of humans, which has the potential to lead to infections in animals that live in close proximity to humans. There have been sporadic reports of infections in pet cats in households with COVID-19 patients, which demonstrates that cats are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. This means that cats could potentially act as virus reservoirs, or sources of infection for other species. Experimental infections have demonstrated that cats are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and infected cats are capable of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to other cats. The virus replicates in the respiratory tract and infectious virus can be detected in nasal washes, oropharyngeal and rectal swabs. In addition, traces of the virus have been detected in faeces and occasionally urine. The risk of human-to-cat infection and the potential for the establishment of cats as a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 is unknown. In light of recent reports in The Netherlands and Denmark of SARS-CoV-2 jumping from humans into mink, transmitting between mink and then jumping back into humans, further research is warranted to investigate animals that are susceptible to COVID-19, including domestic pets. In this project we will investigate the susceptibility of domestic cats to SARS-CoV-2 infection and their capacity to transmit the virus to cats and other species as the pandemic progresses. A successful cross-species jump of SARS-CoV-2 from humans into cats not only expands the host range of the virus but might also generate an additional source of infections for humans and other species, which would make the elimination of SARS-CoV-2 more complex. Only by assessing the potential of SARS-CoV-2 viruses isolated from cats to infect other species, including humans, will it be possible to effectively gauge and control virus transmission to all potentially susceptible species.