Volume 28, Number 12—December 2022
Research
Household Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from Humans to Pets, Washington and Idaho, USA
, Timothy V. Baszler, Kathryn E. Kuehl, Vickie Ramirez, Anna Baines, Lauren A. Frisbie, Eric T. Lofgren, David M. de Avila, Rebecca M. Wolking, Dan S. Bradway, Hannah R. Wilson, Beth Lipton1, Vance Kawakami, and Peter M. Rabinowitz
Table 1
Descriptive statistics for 119 dogs and 57 cats corresponding to 105 households for study of household transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to pets, Washington and Idaho, USA*
| Characteristic |
Value |
|
|---|---|---|
| Dogs, n = 119 |
Cats, n = 57 |
|
| Animal | ||
| Illness consistent with SARS-CoV-2 | 20 (20) | 19 (39) |
| Seropositive | 33 (40) | 13 (41) |
| PCR positive | 5 (5) | 3 (8) |
| ELISA ratio, mean (SD) | 3.9 (4.93) | 9.88 (12.51) |
| Activity during human quarantine† | 33 (28) | 7 (12) |
| Respondent took precautions‡ | 48 (41) | 17 (30) |
| Age, y, mean (SD) | 6.05 (3.86) | 6.40 (4.50) |
| Male sex | 66 (56) | 28 (49) |
| Respondent aware of CDC guidelines§ | 62 (53) | 29 (53) |
| Time from first diagnosis to sampling, d, mean (SD)¶ | 51.17 (60.64) | 29.28 (19.17) |
| Time from last diagnosis to sampling, d, mean (SD)¶ |
43.06 (69.44) |
15.16 (40.93) |
| Human | ||
| Index case age, y, mean (SD) | 41.78 (13.24) | 47.91 (14.38) |
| Index case male sex | 34 (29) | 14 (25) |
| Index case underlying condition# | 27 (23) | 18 (32) |
| Index case was hospitalized | 2 (2) | 0 |
| No. SARS-CoV-2‒positive household members, mean (SD) | 1.78 (1.28) | 1.72 (1.13) |
| No. household members who had COVID-19-like symptoms, mean (SD)** | 0.27 (0.63) | 0.26 (0.55) |
| No. household residents, mean (SD) |
3.43 (1.49) |
3.07 (1.28) |
| Environment | ||
| Reside in a house | 91 (76) | 51 (89) |
| Reside in an apartment or condominium | 51 (24) | 6 (11) |
| Square footage of housing, mean (SD) | 1,856.32 (932.74) | 1,980.88 (1,095.15) |
| No. bedrooms, mean (SD) | 3.24 (1.4) | 3.19 (1.22) |
| No. of floors, mean (SD) | 1.87 (0.82) | 1.84 (0.62) |
| Access to outdoor space where pets can roam |
99 (83) |
41 (72) |
| Human‒animal contact | ||
| Bowls used by animals cleaned in the kitchen | 108 (91) | 54 (95) |
| Humans and animals share bowls | 15 (13) | 8 (14) |
| Humans wash hands before handling animals | 15 (13) | 2 (4) |
| Humans wash hands after handling animals | 50 (42) | 12 (21) |
| Animal bedshares with humans | 81 (69) | 41 (73) |
| Animal shares a bedroom but not a bed with humans |
54 (46) |
19 (34) |
| Animal is indoor only | 43 (37) | 35 (61) |
| Animal sleeps outdoors | 1 (1) | 5 (9) |
| Humans pet the animal | 117 (100) | 56 (100) |
| Humans kiss the animal | 88 (75) | 38 (68) |
| Animal is allowed on furniture | 101 (86) | 56 (100) |
*Values are no. (%) unless otherwise indicated. CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. †Activity is defined as going to a veterinary clinic or groomer; being walked off-leash; or visiting an off-leash park, dog park, kennel, or daycare facility. ‡Precautions to prevent human‒animal SARS-CoV-2 transmission following diagnosis: not petting or kissing the animal, staying in a different room, and having someone else feed and walk the animal. §Guidelines to prevent human‒animal SARS-CoV-2 transmission. ¶First diagnosis: earliest known, confirmed SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis in the household; final diagnosis: last known, confirmed SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis in he household. #Prexisting conditions: diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, hypertension, immunosuppression. **Household members who had COVID-19-like symptoms but did not get tested.
1Current affiliation: Washington State Department of Health, Shoreline, Washington, USA.