Book

Description

In late 2019, the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was identified in Wuhan, China. Since then, millions of people around the world have been affected and it has taken many deaths. It has caused the disruption of human local and international movement in the past two years, becoming the most significant humanitarian, economic, and healthcare challenge in the 21st century. The hospitalizations, infections, and deaths of humans due to COVID-19 are only part of the healthcare issues surrounding it, and it has also been reported in animals, including minks, lions, tigers, cats, and dogs, causing increasing concern among pet owners. Thus, a better understanding of the human-animal-human transmission of the disease is a necessity. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to review the reported cases of COVID-19 in animals and perform a phylogenetic and genomic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 samples isolated from these animal hosts. Considering the many case reports related to this issue, the study of the mechanisms affecting animals, humans, and the environment is necessary to ensure that maltreatment of animals does not occur on this basis. Further research can lead to more effective measures to prevent the transmission of the disease by achieving a better understanding of the animal-human interface.