AUTHOR=Jarrah Samar Afif , Kmetiuk Louise Bach , Valleriani Fabrizia , Bonfini Barbara , Lorusso Alessio , Vasinioti Violetta , Decaro Nicola , dos Santos Marco Tulio , Spohr Kledir Anderson Hofstaetter , Pratelli Annamaria , Serroni Anna , Capista Sara , Sousa Valéria Regia Franco , Biondo Alexander Welker , Nakazato Luciano , Dutra Valéria TITLE=SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in dogs and cats in a highly infected area of Brazil during the pandemic JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science VOLUME=10 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1111728 DOI=10.3389/fvets.2023.1111728 ISSN=2297-1769 ABSTRACT=

SARS-CoV-2 was a worldwide threat during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the state of Mato Grosso had the second highest mortality rate in Brazil, with 427. 4 deaths/100,000 inhabitants. However, no large-scale study among dogs and cats in such highly infected areas of Brazil has so far been conducted. Accordingly, the present study reports on a serosurvey among dogs and cats in Cuiabá, capital of Mato Grosso from November 2020 to July 2021, where the human mortality rate was 605/100,000 at that time. Overall, 33/762 dogs (4.3%) and 4/182 cats (2.2%) were found to be seropositive for SARS-CoV-2 through ELISA, and 3/762 dogs (0.4%) and 3/182 cats (1.6%) were seropositive through the serum neutralization test. Cats presented higher seroprevalence with higher titers of neutralizing antibodies. Although N-protein based ELISA may be a good screening test, cross-reactivity with other canine coronaviruses may impair its diagnostic use among dogs.