US, WASHINGTON (ORDO NEWS) — Specialists at research centers of the Rosselkhoznadzor told how coronavirus infection can occur in domestic animals.
According to scientists, the diseases affect the most popular pets – cats and dogs.
Dogs typically tolerate COVID-19 without external symptoms. Infected cats can cough, sneeze, they may have a fever and discharge from the nose and eyes. In some cases, the disease can be expressed by symptoms of acute intestinal infection – vomiting and diarrhea.
Experts emphasized that while WHO has no evidence of the possibility of transmission of coronavirus from animal to human. At the same time, studies conducted on mink farms in the Netherlands showed that there is still a risk of infection by contact with an infected animal.
Scientists talked about the susceptibility of animals to different types of coronavirus
Representatives of the coronavirus family are widely distributed in populations of wild and farm animals, so the reason for contacting the veterinarian is any change in the clinical condition of the animal, according to materials provided by the Rosselkhoznadzor press service.
“There are four genera of the coronavirus family (alpha-coronaviruses, beta-coronaviruses, gamma-coronaviruses and delta-coronaviruses) that cause various diseases in different species of animals, mainly warm-blooded ones, including humans and birds,” the materials prepared by the FSBI subordinate service say “Federal Center for Animal Health” and the Federal State Budgetary Institution “All-Russian State Center for the Quality and Standardization of Medicines for Animals and Feed”.
In particular, the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus causing an infection known as COVID-19 belongs to beta-coronaviruses. Recent studies on mink farms in the Netherlands have shown that under certain conditions there is a potential risk of human infection by contact with infected mink, but there is currently no need to conduct animal studies on COVID-19, scientists point out.
Testing is recommended for animals showing clinical signs of a respiratory disease caused by coronavirus, but first of all, close contact of the animal with an infected person may become the basis. A sick animal is given antiviral and symptomatic treatment before recovery, the main measure in the treatment is isolation at the place of detention and preventing contact with other people and animals, the materials say.
To protect a pet from infection, it is necessary to exclude close contact with a person in the foci of infection, in case of illness of the owner – transfer the care responsibilities to other family members, as well as observe general rules of personal hygiene.
As general safety measures for agricultural animals, scientists recommend that disinfection barriers work, exclude close human contact with animals and between animals at livestock facilities, and allow only healthy personnel to work.
It is recommended to maintain the same strict hygiene rules at fur farms, in circuses, zoos and dolphinariums, in pedigree breeding nurseries and shelters for street animals.
Experts recall that according to the official position of the World Health Organization ( WHO ) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), there is currently no evidence of the possibility of human infection of COVID-19 from companion animals (dogs, cats), and the spread of the disease occurs mainly due to account of direct transmission of the virus from person to person.
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