UNSA Faculty of Veterinary Medicine: Transmission of SARS COV-2 virus from human to pet dog determined in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sarajevo is continuously working on research related to the corona virus. On 3 February 2021, Prof. Dr. Muhamed Smajlović, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Dean, Prof. Dr. Teufik Goletić, head of the Laboratory for Molecular Genetic and Forensic Research and Prof. Dr. Amir Zahirović, Head of the Clinic of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, presented to the general public information on the established transmission of SARS CoV-2 virus from human to pet dog. Scientists from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine are the first in BiH and among the first in the region to isolated in June BH SARS CoV-2 virus strain and sequenced from two clinical samples complete sequences of the viral genome, which were deposited in the International Gene Database (GISAID).
“Our research team has proven the transmission of the SARS Cov-2 virus from human to pet dog. Most of the research was financed from its own funds and from the funds of the international organizations IAEA and UNDP” said Prof. Smajlović.
Prof. Dr. Teufik Goletić confirmed that PCR-based diagnostics determined the first case of infection in one animal. It is the owner's pet dog, which stayed in the same area with a previously confirmed case of infection with the Covid 19 virus in the owner. This finding of SARS Cov-2 virus in dogs places us alongside countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Spain, Belgium, Germany, the United States and China. These are countries from which there have been reports of pet infection so far and it is mostly human transmission.
Prof. Goletić explained that, in addition to announcing that the first case of infection in dogs has been identified in BiH, we want to convey a message to pet owners and keepers, that this confirmation by its nature and character is only one in a series of those confirming that the primary transmission of SARS Cov -2 viruses from human to human, and that transmission to animals is an "incident situation". He also pointed out that there is no reason for pet owners to be concerned about the health of their loved ones, because transmission from a pet, specifically a dog and a cat, has not yet been established anywhere in the world.
After it was determined that the dog was positive for Sars Cov-2, the owner was informed and referred to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Clinics. Prof. Dr. Amir Zahirović, Head of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Clinics said that after learning that the dog cohabited with positive people because they were in the same household, they contacted the owner because they wanted to perform a complete clinical examination. “The physical examination determined that the dog was cheerful and in good spirits, had an appetite, and special tests did not determine any deviations from the normal state” explained Prof. Zahirović. He emphasized that there are no relevant scientifically proven transmissions from dog to human, but only in the opposite direction. “It's still a one-way transmission. As far as I know, so far, no transmission from pets to humans has been determined” pointed out Prof. Zahirović.
It is also stated that to date, the transmission of the so-called avian coronavirus to humans and in this sense there is no reason for any concern.
