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Ramasamy S, Gontu A, Neerukonda S, Ruggiero D, Morrow B, Gupta S, Amirthalingam S, Hardham JM, Lizer JT, Yon M, Nissly RH, Jakka P, Chothe SK, LaBella LC, Tewari D, Nair MS, Kuchipudi SV. SARS-CoV-2 Prevalence and Variant Surveillance among Cats in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Viruses 2023; 15:1493. [PMID: 37515180 PMCID: PMC10386599 DOI: 10.3390/v15071493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infects many mammals, and SARS-CoV-2 circulation in nonhuman animals may increase the risk of novel variant emergence. Cats are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and there were cases of virus transmission between cats and humans. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 variant infection of cats in an urban setting. We investigated the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 variant infections in domestic and community cats in the city of Pittsburgh (n = 272). While no cats tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA, 35 cats (12.86%) tested SARS-CoV-2-antibody-positive. Further, we compared a cat-specific experimental lateral flow assay (eLFA) and species-agnostic surrogate virus neutralization assay (sVNT) for SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection in cats (n = 71). The eLFA demonstrated 100% specificity compared to sVNT. The eLFA also showed 100% sensitivity for sera with >90% inhibition and 63.63% sensitivity for sera with 40-89% inhibition in sVNT. Using a variant-specific pseudovirus neutralization assay (pVNT) and antigen cartography, we found the presence of antibodies to pre-Omicron and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants. Hence, this approach proves valuable in identifying cat exposure to different SARS-CoV-2 variants. Our results highlight the continued exposure of cats to SARS-CoV-2 and warrant coordinated surveillance efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santhamani Ramasamy
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Abhinay Gontu
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | | | - Diana Ruggiero
- S.R. Scientific LLC, 5854 Ellsworth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - Becky Morrow
- S.R. Scientific LLC, 5854 Ellsworth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
- Frankie's Friends, 740 5th Ave, New Kensington, PA 15068, USA
| | - Sheweta Gupta
- S.R. Scientific LLC, 5854 Ellsworth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - Saranya Amirthalingam
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | | | | | - Michele Yon
- Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Ruth H Nissly
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Padmaja Jakka
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Shubhada K Chothe
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Lindsey C LaBella
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Deepanker Tewari
- Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory, Harrisburg, PA 17110, USA
| | - Meera Surendran Nair
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Suresh V Kuchipudi
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Huck Institute of Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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