Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Low Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Canine and Feline Serum Samples Collected during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Hong Kong and Korea

Version 1 : Received: 12 January 2023 / Approved: 13 January 2023 / Online: 13 January 2023 (10:21:53 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Go, Y.Y.; Carrai, M.; Choi, Y.R.; Brackman, C.J.; Tam, K.W.S.; Law, P.Y.T.; Woodhouse, F.; Gray, J.; Kim, J.H.; Park, J.; Jeon, C.W.; Jang, H.; Magouras, I.; Decaro, N.; Cheng, S.M.; Peiris, M.; Beatty, J.A.; Barrs, V.R. Low Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Canine and Feline Serum Samples Collected during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Hong Kong and Korea. Viruses 2023, 15, 582. Go, Y.Y.; Carrai, M.; Choi, Y.R.; Brackman, C.J.; Tam, K.W.S.; Law, P.Y.T.; Woodhouse, F.; Gray, J.; Kim, J.H.; Park, J.; Jeon, C.W.; Jang, H.; Magouras, I.; Decaro, N.; Cheng, S.M.; Peiris, M.; Beatty, J.A.; Barrs, V.R. Low Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Canine and Feline Serum Samples Collected during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Hong Kong and Korea. Viruses 2023, 15, 582.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected millions of people worldwide since its emergence in 2019. The current global pandemic was driven by human-to-human transmission. Knowing the zoonotic origin of the disease and the potential capacity of the virus to adapt to other species, it is important to understand the extent of natural SARS-CoV-2 infection of animals, in particular cats and dogs in households that are in direct contact with their owners. Hong Kong and Seoul are two of the most densely-populated urban cities in Asia, where companion animals often live in close contact with humans. In this study, we screened sera from 1,040 cats and 855 dogs during the early phase of the pandemic in Hong Kong and Seoul for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies by using an ELISA that detects antibodies against the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the viral spike protein. Sera testing positive on ELISA were also tested for the presence of neutralizing antibodies using a surrogate virus neutralization (sVNT) and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). Among feline sera, 4.51% and 2.54% of samples from Korea and Hong Kong, respectively, tested ELISA positive. However only 1.64% of samples from Korea and 0.18% from Hong Kong tested positive by sVNT, while only 0.41% of samples from Korea tested positive by PRNT. Among canine samples, 4.94% and 6.46% from Korea and Hong Kong, respectively, tested positive by ELISA, while only 0.29% sera from Korea were positive on sVNT and no canine sera tested positive by PRNT. These results confirm a low seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in companion animals in Korea and Hong Kong. The discordance between RBD-ELISA and neutralization tests may indicate possible ELISA cross-reactivity with other coronaviruses, especially in canine sera.

Keywords

SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; Feline; Canine; seroprevalence; zoonosis

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Virology

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