tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Med Virol
. 2025 Jul;97(7):e70496.
doi: 10.1002/jmv.70496. Cross-Species Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 From Dogs to Hamsters and Pathological Changes in the Brain
Dong-Hwi Kim[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Kyu-Sung Kim[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Jae-Hyeong Kim[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kyu-Beom Lim[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Min-Tae Jeon[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Joong-Bok Lee[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Seung-Yong Park[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Chang-Seon Song[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Sang-Won Lee[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Dong-Hun Lee[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yang-Kyu Choi[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Yeun-Kyung Shin[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Do-Geun Kim[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], In-Soo Choi[SUP] 1 5 8 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), COVID-19 causative agent, infects several species. Although COVID-19 was reported in some dogs, their roles in transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to other species remain unclear. We investigated the ability of COVID-19 infected dogs to transmit SARS-CoV-2 virus to hamsters and assessed associated pulmonary and neuropathological changes in hamsters. SARS-CoV-2-negative hamsters were placed in close proximity to infected dogs, and viral infection in hamsters was confirmed by infection-associated histopathological changes. SARS-CoV-2 exposure led to notable neurological effects in hamsters, including blood-brain barrier damage, activated immune response, and neurodegenerative changes. This study is the first one to confirm that dogs can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to other species and demonstrates that cross-species viral transmission can contribute to central nervous system pathology and promote neurodegenerative processes. These findings underscore the importance of further investigating dog-to-other species transmission pathways and early-stage neuropathological impacts of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Keywords: SARS coronavirus, virus classification; horizontal transmission, epidemiology; infection.
. 2025 Jul;97(7):e70496.
doi: 10.1002/jmv.70496. Cross-Species Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 From Dogs to Hamsters and Pathological Changes in the Brain
Dong-Hwi Kim[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Kyu-Sung Kim[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Jae-Hyeong Kim[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kyu-Beom Lim[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Min-Tae Jeon[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Joong-Bok Lee[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Seung-Yong Park[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Chang-Seon Song[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Sang-Won Lee[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Dong-Hun Lee[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yang-Kyu Choi[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Yeun-Kyung Shin[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Do-Geun Kim[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], In-Soo Choi[SUP] 1 5 8 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 40673720
- DOI: 10.1002/jmv.70496
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), COVID-19 causative agent, infects several species. Although COVID-19 was reported in some dogs, their roles in transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to other species remain unclear. We investigated the ability of COVID-19 infected dogs to transmit SARS-CoV-2 virus to hamsters and assessed associated pulmonary and neuropathological changes in hamsters. SARS-CoV-2-negative hamsters were placed in close proximity to infected dogs, and viral infection in hamsters was confirmed by infection-associated histopathological changes. SARS-CoV-2 exposure led to notable neurological effects in hamsters, including blood-brain barrier damage, activated immune response, and neurodegenerative changes. This study is the first one to confirm that dogs can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to other species and demonstrates that cross-species viral transmission can contribute to central nervous system pathology and promote neurodegenerative processes. These findings underscore the importance of further investigating dog-to-other species transmission pathways and early-stage neuropathological impacts of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Keywords: SARS coronavirus, virus classification; horizontal transmission, epidemiology; infection.