Wednesday, May 04, 2022

Dog coronavirus jumps to humans, with a protein shift


Peer-Reviewed Publication

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell University researchers have identified a shift that occurs in canine coronavirus that may provide clues as to how it transmits from animals to humans.

A new canine coronavirus was first identified in two Malaysian human patients who developed pneumonia in 2017-18. A group of other scientists isolated the canine coronavirus, sequenced it, and published their findings in 2021.

Now, a team led by researchers from Cornell and Temple University has identified a pattern that occurs in a terminus of the canine coronavirus spike protein – the area of the virus that facilitates entry into a host cell. This pattern shows the virus shifts from infecting both the intestines and respiratory system of the animal host to infecting only the respiratory system in a human host.

The researchers identified a change in the terminus – known as the N terminus – a region of the molecule with alterations also detected in another coronavirus, which jumped from bats to humans, where it causes a common cold.

“This study identifies some of the molecular mechanisms underlying a host shift from dog coronavirus to a new human host, that may also be important in the circulation of a new human coronavirus that we previously didn’t know about,” said Michael Stanhope, professor of public and ecosystem health at Cornell. First author, Jordan Zehr, is a doctoral student at Temple University. The paper was published in the journal Viruses.

In the study, the researchers used state-of-the-art molecular evolution tools to assess how pressures from natural selection may have influenced the canine coronavirus’ evolution.

The same variant of canine coronavirus found in Malaysia was also reported in 2021 in a few people in Haiti, who also had respiratory illness.

Stanhope believes more study is needed to understand if the viral shifts and jumps to humans occurred spontaneously in different parts of the world or if this coronavirus has been circulating for perhaps many decades in the human population without detection.

For additional information, see this Cornell Chronicle story.

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Dog owners’ concerns and experience accessing veterinary care during the COVID-19 pandemic

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WILEY

New research indicates that the veterinary profession responded well during the COVID-19 pandemic despite many dog owners feeling concerned about the availability of veterinary care during this time due to service restrictions.  

In the study published in Vet Record, investigators at Dogs Trust, a British animal welfare charity and humane society, analyzed surveys completed by dog owners in the UK in May (during the first nationwide lockdown) and October 2020. The team also examined diaries completed by dog owners in the UK or the Republic of Ireland in April–November 2020.  

During the first stage of the nationwide lockdown, UK government advice about limiting service provision resulted in the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and British Veterinary Association jointly issuing guidance to the profession regarding restricting non-emergency veterinary healthcare. Alongside this, in the initial months of the pandemic, veterinary healthcare availability worried 32.4% (1431/4922) of respondents. However, between late March and November, 99.5% (1,794/1,843) of those needing to contact a veterinarian managed to do so. 

Over one-fifth of respondents (22.2%) experienced remote consultations during the early stages of the pandemic. 

Delays and cancellations of procedures affected 28.0% (82/293) of dogs that owners planned to neuter and 34.2% (460/1346) of dogs that owners intended to vaccinate.   

“The majority of the respondents thought that remote consultations were convenient. This method also enabled those who were shielding or unable to travel to the practice to access veterinary care,” said co–first author Sara C. Owczarczak-Garstecka, PhD. “It’s reassuring that despite owners’ fears about service restrictions, veterinary practices appear to have adapted well to unprecedented circumstances and responded to owners’ urgent care needs,” added co–first author Katrina E. Holland, PhD.     

URL Upon Publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/vetr.1681 

Additional Information 

About the Journal

Veterinary Record (branded as Vet Record) is the official journal of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and has been published since 1888. It contains news, opinion, letters, scientific reviews and original research papers and communications on a wide range of veterinary topics, along with disease surveillance reports, obituaries, careers information, business and innovation news and summaries of research papers in other journals. It is published on behalf of the BVA by Wiley.

About Wiley

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