Biology subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Lanave, G..
A multicentric European study investigated the seroprevalence of influenza D virus (IDV) in domestic cats and dogs. Serum samples from Italy, France and Ukraine (2015-2018, 2020, 2023-2024) showed no IDV positivity in Italy or in France. In Ukraine, 2.46% of dogs and 0.85% of cats tested positive in 2024.
SARS-CoV-2 originated in animals and is now easily transmitted between people. Sporadic detection of natural cases in animals alongside successful experimental infections of pets, such as cats, ferrets and dogs, raises questions about the susceptibility of animals under natural conditions of pet ownership. Here we report a large-scale study to assess SARS-CoV-2 infection in 817 companion animals living in northern Italy, sampled at a time of frequent human infection. No animals tested PCR positive. However, 3.4% of dogs and 3.9% of cats had measurable SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titers, with dogs from COVID-19 positive households being significantly more likely to test positive than those from COVID-19 negative households. Understanding risk factors associated with this and their potential to infect other species requires urgent investigation. One Sentence SummarySARS-CoV-2 antibodies in pets from Italy.