More than two months after the start of the monkeypox epidemic, a first case in a dog has been confirmed in Paris. According to a report published on August 10, 2022 in The Lancet, this dog – a 4-year-old male Italian greyhound – would have been contaminated by its owners. If human-to-human transmission of the virus usually occurs”by close contact with lesions, body fluids and respiratory droplets of infected persons”the international medical journal says it does not yet know “whether domestic cats and dogs could be a vector of Monkeypox virus”.
On June 10, two men who have sex with men went to the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital. Both lived in the same household but did not have exclusive sexual relations. They then presented symptoms specific to monkeypox, in particular pustules on several parts of the body, fatigue, headaches and fever. They were soon diagnosed with monkeypox.
Twelve days after their first symptoms, their dog – with no medical history – also presented “mucocutaneous lesions, including abdominal pustules and fine anal ulceration“, says the Lancet. After a PCR carried out on the animal, the test turned out to be positive. Both men said slept with their dog. They nevertheless took care to prevent their dog from coming into contact with other animals or people at the onset of their symptoms.
Infected people must “stay away from their pets“
Last June, thehandles had submitted a first report in which he confirmed that the animals could be contaminated, but not just any. Thus, the most receptive animals would be rabbits (especially babies), hares, prairie dogs and squirrels. An infection of pets would be “unlikely” according to the Lancet.
“In endemic countries, only wild animals (rodents and primates) carry the virus. However, transmission of Monkeypox virus in prairie dogs has been described in the United States and in captive primates in Europe that have been in contact with imported infected animals. Infection in domestic animals, such as dogs and cats, has never been reported“, said the Lancet.
The WHO responded by urging, as public health agencies have done before, to “stay away from their pets“, so as not to expose them to the virus. “We believe that this is the first time that a dog has been infected,” commented Rosamund Lewis, WHO technical officer for monkeypox. The international organization remain very concerned about animals living outside a householdespecially rodents and rats. “It’s through the process of one animal infecting the next and the next and the next that you see the rapid evolution of the virus.” In order to reduce these risks, the WHO believes that “waste management is essential“in cities and in homes.
Source :
- Evidence of human-to-dog transmission of monkeypox virus, The LancetAugust 10, 2022
