A family dog has tested positive for monkeypox virus in what may be the first human-to-dog transmission case ever recorded. Researchers raised the alarm after an Italian greyhound contracted the virus 12 days after its owners began to show their onset symptoms.
Two men attended Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, in Paris, France, on June 10, after developing anal ulceration six days after having sex. One man had been experiencing anal ulceration and a rash on his face, ears, and legs, while the other developed a rash just on his legs and back.
In both cases, the men experienced fatigue, headaches, and a fever four days after breaking out in a rash. They had been co-sleeping with their dog – but said they have been “careful to prevent their dog from contact with other pets or humans from the onset of their own symptoms”.
Despite their efforts, their dog tested positive for monkeypox virus after presenting “mucocutaneous lesions, including abdomen pustules and a thin anal ulceration”.
New research, published in The Lancet, a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, reads: “On July 23, 2022, monkeypox was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“Human-to-human transmission of monkeypox virus usually occurs through close contact with the lesions, body fluids, and respiratory droplets of infected people or animals.
“The possibility of sexual transmission is being investigated, as the current outbreak appears to be concentrated in men who have sex with men and has been associated with unexpected anal and genital lesions.” It’s still unknown if domesticated cats and dogs could be a vector for monkeypox – and the Lancet says this case may have been acquired through human transmission.
After testing the men for monkeypox, the virus was detected in skin and oropharynx samples for the first man, and in anal and oropharynx samples for the second.
“12 days after symptom onset, their male Italian greyhound, aged four years and with no previous medical disorders, presented with mucocutaneous lesions, including abdomen pustules and a thin anal ulceration,.” the study reads.
“The dog tested positive for monkeypox virus by use of a PCR protocol adapted from Li and colleagues that involved scraping skin lesions and swabbing the anus and oral cavity. READ MORE
