POTENCIAL DE TRANSMISSIBILIDADE DA COVID-19 DE CÃES E GATOS PARA HUMANOS

COVID-19 is an extremely contagious respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. This agent causes pulmonary impairment in humans that can be mild, moderate or severe. Advanced manifestations of the pathology include Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Insufficiency (ARF Type 1) and Acute Respiratory Discomfort Syndrome (ARDS). The evolution of the severe form of the disease, when not diagnosed and treated early, can result in death. The objectives of the present study were to provide information about COVID-19 in dogs and cats, as well as the potential for transmissibility to humans. A descriptive study was carried out as a narrative review of the literature. Descriptors in Health Sciences related to Covid-19 were used: transmissibility, humans, dogs and cats. The electronic base searched was Google Scholar. The selected articles showed that dogs can become infected, but there is not much scientific information to prove their clinical manifestation and the transmissibility of COVID-19 from dogs and cats to humans. However, questions related to the topic cannot be ruled out. It is believed that these bibliographic findings may represent high importance, as there are currently some questions about the possibility of human-animal transmission. There is no proven scientific information that dogs and cats are important transmitters in the epidemiological chain of COVID-19, requiring further studies and continuous monitoring of pets.