Susceptibility of ferrets, cats, dogs, and different domestic animals to SARS-coronavirus-2

Hualan Chen

To investigate the replication dynamics of these viruses in ferrets, groups of three animals were inoculated intranasally with 10 5 pfu of F13-E or CTan-H, and then placed in three separate cages within an isolator. Nasal washes and rectal swabs were collected on days 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 p.i. from the ferrets for viral RNA detection and virus titration. Body temperatures and signs of disease were monitored for two weeks. As shown in Fig. 1 , viral RNA was detected in the nasal washes on days 2, 4, 6, and 8 p.i. in all six ferrets inoculated with the two viruses (Fig. 1E, F) . Viral RNA was also detected in some of the rectal swabs of the virus-inoculated ferrets although the copy numbers were notably lower than those in the nasal washes of these ferrets ( fig. S1A, B) . Infectious virus was detected from the nasal washes of all ferrets (Fig. 1G, H) , but not from the rectal swabs of any ferrets (fig. S1C, D).