- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in a new window)
- Click to email a friend (Opens in a new window)
Covid-19 in pets and other animals, what do we know? 2:47
(CNN) - The pug from a North Carolina family may be the first dog in the United States to test positive for coronavirus, according to the researchers.
Three members of the McLean family, Sam McLean, his wife Heather and their son, Ben, contracted covid-19 last month. The couple's daughter Sydney McLean was the only member of the family who never showed any symptoms.
LOOK: Quarantines and hyperexposure with pets: cats feel invaded and dogs will suffer when the confinement ends
The family found that their dog, Winston, also tested positive for the virus after participating in a Duke University study of covid-19 aimed at trying to find possible treatments and vaccines. As part of the study, family members take weekly nasal samples and take blood samples.
Chris Woods, the study's lead investigator, said the researchers have also been collecting samples from family pets to see how the coronavirus spreads in homes. The researchers did not use commercial tests that are in high demand around the world to evaluate animals.
Although they have not tested many pets, Winston's sample is the only one that has tested positive. It is believed to be the first dog in the country to test positive for the virus, according to the university.
LOOK: Two cats in New York are the first pets with confirmed coronavirus in the USA.
"The amount of (Winston's) virus we detected was very low, suggesting that it would not be a likely mechanism or vector of transmission of the virus to other animals or humans in these homes," Woods said.
Sam McLean, a researcher and doctor at the University of North Carolina emergency room at Chapel Hill, was the first family member to get sick, said his wife Heather McLean. He had treated covid-19 patients before being infected.
Winston showed some minor symptoms while her family was also ill.
LOOK: A tiger from the New York Zoo has coronavirus
"He had a small cough for a day or two at the peak when we were all sick and didn't eat breakfast one morning," Ben McLean told CNN. “But there was no specific disease, super-alarming, about which we said as: 'We have to take him to the vet. He's really sick. '”
Woods said investigators do not know if the coronavirus made Winston sick or if he had an unrelated disease.
The McLeans have another dog and a cat, whose tests were negative.
Winston tends to lick things and likes to spend more time with her family, Heather McLean said. Her cat is more distant, and her older pug likes to sleep most of the time.
"Winston is much more loving and we carry him in our arms all the time," he told CNN. "So if any of the animals had a positive viral test, it would be him."
Federal officials announced last week that two cats tested positive for the new coronavirus in New York.
Eight lions and tigers tested positive for covid-19 at the Bronx Zoo, but big cats are doing fine, according to a press release.
Two dogs in quarantine in Hong Kong also tested positive for the virus, according to officials there.
Experts have emphasized that there is no evidence that pets are involved in the transmission of the coronavirus.
"It would not change our behavior with our pets at this time. They are truly an important part of our mental health as we continue to participate in our social distancing to combat the pandemic, ”said Woods.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's leading infectious disease specialist, said at a press conference last week that "there is no evidence we've seen, from an epidemiological point of view, that pets can be transmitters within the home".
William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, said it is extremely rare for a virus to jump from an animal to a human.
He said the first case of the covid-19 pandemic was believed to have come from a market in Wuhan, China, but that it had spread worldwide through person-to-person contact.
"We still don't believe this is common and we certainly don't think it is an important transmission route in either direction," Schaffner said. "It is not common for people to transmit it to their pets, nor has anyone been shown to have contracted this virus from a pet."
Schaffner said it would be a good idea for sick people to stay away from their pets, as well as family members. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have made similar recommendations.
Heather McLean said her family is no longer in quarantine and is authorized to return to work. Her husband volunteered to work in a special covid-19 unit in the emergency room because he believes he will be at less risk than colleagues who have not been infected.
Heather McLean and Ben McLean hope they can donate plasma so their antibodies can help patients.
"We are very grateful to have the opportunity to participate in this research study," he said. "We really hope that we can donate plasma to help other patients."
She said Winston is fine too. He is walking a lot and enjoys following his family around the house to monitor what they are doing.
