SARS CoV 2 Infection Case in Dog

The pet dog of a SARS CoV 2 infected patient was found infected with the virus and was quarantined. The animal showed no symptoms.

WOAH

The WOAH or World Organisation for Animal Health is an international organisation concerned with coordinating and promoting animal disease control. It was previously known as OIE (Office International des Epizooties). It was established in 1924 and headquartered in Paris. It is independent of the UN system and recognised by the WTO.

Zoonosis

Zoonosis is a term used to refer to an infectious disease that spreads from a non-human animal to humans. The COVID-19 is a zoonosis. The inter-specific jump is dependent on 2 factor: access and ability. It needs access to humans (eg: wet markets in Wuhan brought humans into contact with animal carriers) and the ability to recognise and bind with the host cell’s receptors.

Other Cases of Zoonosis

The previous 2 coronavirus outbreaks, SARS and the MERS, were also reported to be zoonosis. In case of SARS, the virus (SARS CoV) started from bats, then passed onto humans through civet cats. In case of MERS, also a bat virus, the virus spread to humans through camels.