A dog in Hong Kong that was quarantined for a “low-level” coronavirus infection has come up negative for the virus on a blood test, the Washington Post reports.
Earlier, the dog tested weakly positive on oral and nasal samples after its owner was hospitalized with the infection. It has been in quarantine since Feb. 26 and has not displayed any symptoms.
The dog is staying in quarantine for now, as officials believe it may indeed be infected. Hong Kong’s government said in a statement that the negative blood test indicates “that there is not a strong immune response and that there are currently not measurable amounts of antibodies in the blood.” However, it “does not suggest that the dog is not infected with the virus.”
In humans, mild cases do not always develop antibodies, the Post reports.
The fact that the dog tested positive several times suggests that the dog’s case represents a “true infection,” said J. Scott Weese, professor at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College.
“It wouldn’t be surprising for this to be a low-grade infection because dogs are not thought to be very good hosts for this virus, based on its genetic structure and what we know about the original SARS,” he told the Post.
Hong Kong’s government has said the case likely represents “human-to-animal transmission.”
At the same time, however, the World Health Organization states that there’s no evidence that pets can transmit the virus to humans.
Read more at the Washington Post