If you get infected with COVID-19 you could spread it to your pets

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-05-03 15:30

International

Guilherme Calvet

If you get infected with COVID-19 it may be possible to spread it to your pets, according to a small study from Brazil, which tested the cats and dogs of people who caught COVID-19. Out of 39 pets (29 dogs and 10 cats) from 21 patients, nine dogs and four cats were found to be positive for COVID-19 infection, and six of them developed COVID symptoms, found the team. Neutered pets and pets who share a bed with their infected owner were shown to have increased chances of catching the disease, they add. The researchers suggest that people with COVID-19 should avoid close contact with their pets during the time of their illness.

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conference: PLOS ONE

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Brazil

Funder: MMS: This study was supported by CGLab/MoH (General Laboratories Coordination of Brazilian Ministry of Health), CVSLR/FIOCRUZ (Coordination of Health Surveillance and Reference Laboratories of Oswaldo Cruz Foundation), The National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) COVID-19 MCTI 402457/2020-0, INOVA VPPCB-005-FIO-20-2-69, and Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) E26/210.196/2020.

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