Duke University researchers said a pet dog named Wilson is believed to be the first in the United States to test positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
The dog is a pug that belongs to a family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The family members in the home also tested positive for COVID-19, but another dog and a cat of the family did not test positive, according to CBS News.
The pooch apparently contracted the virus from the family members in the household.
The family also has a pet lizard, which was not tested for the virus.
Lead investigator Dr. Chris Woods said, “To our knowledge, this is the first instance in which the virus has been detected in a dog.”
“Little additional information is known at this time as we work to learn more about the exposure,” Dr. Woods told CBS News.
Last month, Hong Kong health officials said a COVID-19 patient’s pet dog tested positive for the virus and it was likely the first case of human-to-animal transmission.
Since then, there have been several suspected cases of COVID-19 in cats. However, studies have found that dogs are less vulnerable to the coronavirus, according to CBS News.
Last week, two cats living separately in New York state became the first pets in the United States to test positive for coronavirus. However, health officials cautioned that there is no evidence pets can spread the infection to humans.
