A dog in the US has tested positive for Monkeypox, sparking questions about human-to-animal transmission as the virus continues to spread across the country.
Just recently, a dog was tested positive for the virus after its owners showed symptoms.
Although it is still unclear whether or not Monkeypox could be transmitted from human to animal, since the virus is reportedly a “zoonotic,” there’s a possibility that it could be transmitted from animal to human.
However, in a report released recently, evidence revealed that the 4-year-old Italian greyhound was infected by Monkeypox after its two male owners who lived together contracted the virus first.
On June 10, the couple was rushed to Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, France after showing symptoms of monkeypox, including rashes and ulcerations, as well as headaches and fevers.
According to the reports, 12 days after the couple showed onset of symptoms, their dog also showed symptoms and appeared to have the same scabs and lesions that coincide with monkeypox.
Moreover, following the PCR testing protocol, the doctors have compared the monkeypox virus DNA sequences from the dog with one of the dog’s owners, and later confirmed that the dog was positive for monkeypox virus.
The couple confirmed that prior to the tests, they let their dog sleep in their bed.
They also made it clear that they had been carefully isolating their pet from contacting other dogs or humans ever since they developed the symptoms.
In a report published by The Lancet, it was confirmed that dogs can contract the actual virus instead of being a simple carrier after the discovery of the dog who also had the monkeypox rash and tested positive for the PCR test.
“Our findings should prompt debate on the need to isolate pets from monkeypox virus-positive individuals. We call for further investigation on secondary transmissions via pets,” the report read.
Dr. Jonathan Temte, the associate dean for public health and community engagement at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health also released a statement regarding the incident and claimed that “This case establishes the possibility of human-to-domestic pet transmission.”
“Many species of animals can be infected with monkeypox, but for the vast majority we simply do not know how susceptible they are. Furthermore, we do not know the risk for transmission from a pet (such as a dog) to a human,” Temte added.
