This file photo shows people spending time with their pet dogs at an event in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Nov. 6, 2022. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 2 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean research team has confirmed that the deadly COVID-19 variants that swept the globe throughout the pandemic were also transmitted between dogs.
A joint research team from Seoul National University and Jeonbuk National University infected a dog with the delta and omicron variants of the coronavirus by injecting them through the nostrils and putting the dog with an uninfected dog in the same room after 24 hours.
The team studied the clinical and virological change in the two dogs for the next seven days.
While the two dogs did not show any changes in clinical symptoms, a histopathological analysis showed that both dogs contracted symptoms of viral pneumonia in the lungs.
Also, the delta and omicron variants with proliferative tendencies were emitted through nasal discharges, infecting the other dog with COVID-19 through physical contact.
“When a virus is transmitted from a human to an animal, which carries different receptors, there is a risk of viral mutation. A mutated virus is then transmitted among animals, creating a secondary risk of mutation,” said Song Dae-sub, a veterinary professor at Seoul National University.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
