Monkeypox: The first dog shows symptoms – his master must have infected him
Created: 08/19/2022, 12:30 p.m
By: Anna Katharina Kusters
In France, researchers report a dog contracted monkeypox.
It would be the first transmission from humans to animals.
Although they are not as contagious and dangerous as corona viruses, they keep researchers around the world in suspense: monkeypox.
For a few months they have also been spreading in Europe.
Researchers from France have now reported a case in which monkeypox is said to have spread from two sick men to their dogs.
A final result is not yet available, but the fear of such transmissions between humans and animals is great.
Experts can at least reassure you a bit.
Monkeypox: First dog shows symptoms - is it dangerous?
Transmission of the monkeypox virus to dogs cannot be ruled out.
© Science Photo Library/Imago
The two owners, infected with monkeypox, slept in bed with their dog, as a French research group reported in the scientific journal The Lancet.
The two men developed symptoms typical of monkeypox, such as pustules on their face, legs and back and skin problems in the anal area.
About two weeks later, pustules and skin abnormalities in the anal area appeared on her dog's stomach.
Doctors found traces of the monkeypox virus in the dog's anal area and mouth.
Understand dog language: This is how your four-legged friend shows that he loves you
View photo gallery
However, a clear infection has not yet been confirmed, an expert noted in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
The dog shows symptoms similar to those of its master, but more data is needed to be able to prove transmission of the disease beyond any doubt.
Since the dog and human shared a bed, the animal could also have picked up viruses on the skin.
Monkeypox: The fear of transmission to animals
It is not unlikely that dogs or cats can contract the monkeypox virus from humans.
According to experts, however, if it does occur, it is a rare phenomenon.
However, on continents like Africa, where monkeypox has been rampant for some time, researchers have found that the following animal species can also be infected with monkeypox:
rodent
primates
squirrel species
The biggest concern when it comes to transmission from humans to animals is that the virus could change in the animal body and then be transmitted back to humans in a more dangerous form.
However, the property of smallpox viruses to adapt to their host speaks against this.
This means that the viruses change in such a way that they can better evade their host's immune system and are more quickly transmissible within the host species.
Thus, more dogs could become infected, but not necessarily humans.
