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J Transl Med
. 2020 Sep 21;18(1):358.
doi: 10.1186/s12967-020-02534-2.
Transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to animals: an updated review
Sina Salajegheh Tazerji 1 2 , Phelipe Magalh?es Duarte 3 , Parastoo Rahimi 4 , Fatemeh Shahabinejad 5 , Santosh Dhakal 6 , Yashpal Singh Malik 7 , Awad A Shehata 8 9 , Juan Lama 10 , J?rn Klein 11 , Muhammad Safdar 12 , Md Tanvir Rahman 13 , Krzysztof J Filipiak 14 , Alfonso J Rodr?guez-Morales 15 , Md Abdus Sobur 13 , Farrokhreza Kabir 16 , Bita Vazir 17 , Leonard Mboera 18 , Marco Caporale 19 , Md Saiful Islam 13 , John H Amuasi 20 , Rasha Gharieb 21 , Paola Roncada 22 , Sahar Musaad 23 , Bruno Tilocca 22 , Mohammad Kazem Koohi 24 , Ali Taghipour 25 , Ahmet Sait 26 , Kannan Subbaram 27 , Alireza Jahandideh 16 , Pejman Mortazavi 28 , Mohammad Amin Abedini 4 , David A Hokey 29 , Unarose Hogan 30 , Mohamed N F Shaheen 31 , Ahmed Elaswad 32 , Mahmoud M Elhaig 33 , Mohamed Fawzy 34
Affiliations
- PMID: 32957995
- DOI: 10.1186/s12967-020-02534-2
Abstract
COVID-19 caused by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) originated in Wuhan (Hubei province, China) during late 2019. It has spread across the globe affecting nearly 21 million people with a toll of 0.75 million deaths and restricting the movement of most of the world population during the past 6 months. COVID-19 became the leading health, economic, and humanitarian challenge of the twenty-first century. In addition to the considerable COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in humans, several cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections in animal hosts (dog, cat, tiger, lion, and mink) have been reported. Thus, the concern of pet owners is increasing. Moreover, the dynamics of the disease requires further explanation, mainly concerning the transmission of the virus from humans to animals and vice versa. Therefore, this study aimed to gather information about the reported cases of COVID-19 transmission in animals through a literary review of works published in scientific journals and perform genomic and phylogenetic analyses of SARS-CoV-2 isolated from animal hosts. Although many instances of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 have been reported, caution and further studies are necessary to avoid the occurrence of maltreatment in animals, and to achieve a better understanding of the dynamics of the disease in the environment, humans, and animals. Future research in the animal-human interface can help formulate and implement preventive measures to combat the further transmission of COVID-19.
Keywords: Animals; COVID-19; Coronavirus; Epidemiology; One Health; Pandemic; Pet animals; SARS-CoV-2; Zoonoses.