title: Domestic cats and dogs are susceptible to H9N2 avian influenza virus.
abstract: Replication and transmission of avian influenza virus (AIV) in domestic dogs and cats may pose a risk to humans. The susceptibility of cats and dogs to H9N2 influenza virus was evaluated by intranasally or orally inoculating animals with an H9N2 influenza virus. Cats had recoverable virus in respiratory tissues and the olfactory bulb three days post-inoculation and shed H9N2 virus into nasal washes and pharyngeal swabs from day 2 through day 10 post-inoculation. Virus was recovered from respiratory tissues of dogs three days post-inoculation, but was not detected in nasal washes or pharyngeal swabs. While no virus shedding or replication was detected in cats or dogs following consumption of H9N2-infected chicks, one of two cats and one of two dogs seroconverted. Two of three naïve contact cats seroconverted following co-housing with cats that were intranasally inoculated with H9N2 virus, whereas none of the three naïve contact dogs seroconverted. Our results demonstrate that H9N2 AIV can infect domestic cats and dogs via the upper respiratory tract and indicate that cats are more susceptible than dogs to H9N2 AIV. These findings suggest that domestic dogs and cats may serve as host species contributing to the adaptation of H9N2 viruses in mammals.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, PR China.
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhaowei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhijun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Kaihui
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Tiecheng
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Geng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Songtao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yongkun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Chuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Yuwei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Xianzhu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D002415:Cats; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D004285:Dogs; D058507:Host Specificity; D053127:Influenza A Virus, H9N2 Subtype / Q000502:physiology*; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000821:virology; D017201:Virus Shedding