Three cats infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 spread the virus to three other cats in a lab study published in The New England Journal of Medicine by a research team working in Tokyo, Japan, and Wisconsin, USA.

The research team emphasizes that there is no evidence of the COVID-19 virus transmitting from cats to humans. Researchers state that it is much more likely that humans are giving the virus to their pets, rather than pets causing humans to become sick. The research team infected three cats with large doses of the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, directly into both eyes, both nostrils, the mouth and the trachea (windpipe). The infected cats were housed in pairs with uninfected cats, sharing the same space, food, water and air. Within five days, the uninfected cats tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in nasal swabs.

After their first positive test, all cats continued to test positive for about five days, meaning the cats were likely infectious - able to spread the virus to others - for about five days.Blood tests showed that the cats produced antibodies, molecules that the immune system uses to eliminate current infections and prevent future re-infection, for 24 days after first becoming infected, the longest time included in the study.

None of the cats used in the research study showed any symptoms at any time. All six cats maintained normal body temperature, weight and behavior throughout the experiment. The United States Department of Agriculture reported in early April that lions and tigers at the Bronx Zoo in New York cared for by a zookeeper who later tested positive for COVID-19 also showed symptoms of respiratory illness. The one animal that was tested was indeed positive for SARS-CoV-2. Researchers state that the evidence that humans can spread the virus to cats and that cats can spread the virus to other cats demonstrates a strong need to understand more details about pets’ potential role in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rapido, semplice ed economico, aiuterà soprattutto i Paesi più poveri, dove il virus è molto più diffuso. I risultati dello studio no-profit pubblicati su Lancet. 

Un nuovo test per valutare la carica virale residua nei bambini affetti da HIV è stato messo a punto dagli esperti dell’Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù. Più semplice, rapido ed economico rispetto a quelli già esistenti, potrà aiutare soprattutto i Paesi più poveri in cui la malattia è ancora fortemente presente. Lo studio sulla sua efficacia è stato pubblicato sulla prestigiosa rivista scientifica Lancet. Negli ultimi anni sono stati sviluppati numerosi test molecolari per misurare e caratterizzare la carica virale residua, cioè la quota di HIV-1 che rimane dentro le cellule dei pazienti sottoposti a terapia antivirale. Misurare il residuo virale è fondamentale per valutare l’efficacia del trattamento ricevuto e la possibilità di inserire questi bambini in nuove sperimentazioni finalizzate al controllo del virus senza terapia antivirale (remissione virologica). Finché non ci si riuscirà, con l’aiuto di nuove terapie, nessun paziente potrà considerarsi guarito.