Serological Survey of Retrovirus and Coronavirus Infections, including SARS-CoV-2, in Rural Stray Cats in The Netherlands, 2020-2022

Stray cats can host (zoonotic) viral pathogens and act as a source of infection for domestic cats or humans. In this cross-sectional (sero)prevalence study, sera from 580 stray cats living in 56 different cat groups in rural areas in The Netherlands were collected from October 2020 to July 2022. These were used to investigate the prevalence of the cat-specific feline leukemia virus (FeLV, n = 580), the seroprevalence of the cat-specific feline viruses feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV, n = 580) and feline coronavirus (FCoV, n = 407), and the zoonotic virus severe acute respiratory coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2, n = 407) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). ELISA-positive results were confirmed using Western blot (FIV) or pseudovirus neutralization test (SARS-CoV-2). The FIV seroprevalence was 5.0% (95% CI (Confidence Interval) 3.4-7.1) and ranged from 0-19.0% among groups. FIV-specific antibodies were more often detected in male cats, cats ≥ 3 years and cats with reported health problems. No FeLV-positive cats were found (95% CI 0.0-0.6). The FCoV seroprevalence was 33.7% (95% CI 29.1-38.5) and ranged from 4.7-85.7% among groups. FCoV-specific antibodies were more often detected in cats ≥ 3 years, cats with reported health problems and cats living in industrial areas or countryside residences compared to cats living at holiday parks or campsites. SARS-CoV-2 antibodies against the subunit 1 (S1) and receptor binding domain (RBD) protein were detected in 2.7% (95% CI 1.4-4.8) of stray cats, but sera were negative in the pseudovirus neutralization test and therefore were considered SARS-CoV-2 suspected. Our findings suggest that rural stray cats in The Netherlands can be a source of FIV and FCoV, indicating a potential risk for transmission to other cats, while the risk for FeLV is low. However, suspected SARS-CoV-2 infections in these cats were uncommon. We found no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 cat-to-cat spread in the studied stray cat groups and consider the likelihood of spillover to humans as low.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2023

Erschienen:

2023

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:15

Enthalten in:

Viruses - 15(2023), 7 vom: 12. Juli

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Duijvestijn, Mirjam B H M [VerfasserIn]
Schuurman, Nancy N M P [VerfasserIn]
Vernooij, Johannes C M [VerfasserIn]
van Leeuwen, Michelle A J M [VerfasserIn]
Bosch, Berend-Jan [VerfasserIn]
van den Brand, Judith M A [VerfasserIn]
Wagenaar, Jaap A [VerfasserIn]
van Kuppeveld, Frank J M [VerfasserIn]
Egberink, Herman F [VerfasserIn]
Verhagen, Josanne H [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Antibodies, Viral
Companion animals
Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19)
Diagnosis
Feline
Feline aids
Feral cats
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Serology
Seroprevalence
Trap neuter return and care (TNRC)
Viral infections
Zoonosis

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 31.07.2023

Date Revised 03.08.2023

published: Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.3390/v15071531

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM36015087X