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The Omicron (B.1.1.529) SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern also affects companion animals

View ORCID ProfileLidia Sánchez-Morales, José M. Sánchez-Vizcaíno, Marta Pérez-Sancho, Lucas Domínguez, View ORCID ProfileSandra Barroso-Arévalo
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.04.13.488132
Lidia Sánchez-Morales
1VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
2Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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  • ORCID record for Lidia Sánchez-Morales
  • For correspondence: lidsan05@ucm.es
José M. Sánchez-Vizcaíno
1VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
2Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Marta Pérez-Sancho
1VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
2Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Lucas Domínguez
1VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
2Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Sandra Barroso-Arévalo
1VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
2Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Abstract

The recent emergence of the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) has brought with it a large increase in the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 disease worldwide. However, there is hardly any data on the incidence of this new variant in companion animals. In this study, we have detected the presence of this new variant in domestic animals such as dogs and cats living with owners with COVID19 in Spain that have been sampled at the most optimal time for the detection of the disease. None of the RT-qPCR positive animals (10.13%) presented any clinical signs and the viral loads detected were very low. In addition, the shedding of viral RNA lasted a short period of time in the positive animals. Infection with the Omicron variant of concern (VOC) was confirmed by a specific RT-qPCR for the detection of this variant and by sequencing. These outcomes suggest a lower virulence of this variant in infected cats and dogs. This study demonstrates the transmission of this new variant from infected humans to domestic animals and highlights the importance of doing active surveillance as well as genomic research to detect the presence of VOCs or mutations associated with animal hosts.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted April 13, 2022.
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The Omicron (B.1.1.529) SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern also affects companion animals
Lidia Sánchez-Morales, José M. Sánchez-Vizcaíno, Marta Pérez-Sancho, Lucas Domínguez, Sandra Barroso-Arévalo
bioRxiv 2022.04.13.488132; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.04.13.488132
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The Omicron (B.1.1.529) SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern also affects companion animals
Lidia Sánchez-Morales, José M. Sánchez-Vizcaíno, Marta Pérez-Sancho, Lucas Domínguez, Sandra Barroso-Arévalo
bioRxiv 2022.04.13.488132; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.04.13.488132

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