VN May 2020

Vetnuus | Mei 2020 38 Bits and Bobs I Stukkies en Brokkies Can Pets Get or Spread COVID-19? Think sharp. Think Terumo. For any queries or enquiries, please contact Craig Bisset on cbisset@primesurgical co.za or 073-189-4651 For orders, please contact terumomedical@primesurgical.co.za or visit our website www.terumomedical.com Terumo is represented in South Africa by Prime Surgical, a partner with more than 30 years’ experience in the distribution of medical products in the market. Cummings School scientists launch a study to better understand the novel coronavirus and how it may infect pets and other domestic animals. As the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded around the globe, there have been a few reports of pets and other animals kept in captivity being infected. Two dogs, both in Hong Kong, and two cats, one in Belgium and another in Hong Kong, reportedly tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. More recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in one tiger at the Bronx Zoo inNewYork, where other tigers and lions also had symptoms of a respiratory illness but were not tested. Another study identified coronavirus antibodies in otherwise healthy cats in a shelter. These reports suggest that cats, dogs, and other animals could be infected by the novel coronavirus, said Cummings School professor and virologist Jonathan Runstadler, although there’s currently no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 spreading from humans to pets—or vice versa—in North America. “Given how widespread COVID-19 is in the U.S., the fact that we have not seen this phenomenon here means that the risk of pets serving as a source for COVID-19 infection or for pets catching the disease from humans must be extremely low,” he said. “However, not many pets or other animals are being tested, so we don’t have systematic studies or data to support that conclusion.” To learn more about possible transmission, Runstadler’s lab has launched a new research project called the Coronavirus Epidemiological Research and Surveillance (CoVERS) study. Animal owners can choose to participate in the Tufts study to help scientists better understand the novel coronavirus and how it may infect and be shed by pets and livestock. To enrol, owners of animals currently being treated at Cummings Veterinary Medical Centre for life-threatening illnesses or injuries during the COVID-19 crisis sign a consent form. Once clients opt into the study, veterinary staff can then take swabs from the animal’s nose and mouth, which the scientists analyse for viral RNA. The CoVERS team hopes their work will reveal which domestic species can get the new coronavirus, if animals can further transmit it to other animals, and if the virus causes disease in any animals. The researchers also are surveying all owners participating in the study about how they normally interact with their animals to see if any particular behaviours may contribute to the spread of the virus from humans to animals.