A dog owned by a gay French couple contracted monkeypox from them. This is the first known case of human-to-pet virus transmission.
Monkeypox: First case of human-to-pet transmission
According to reports, a dog owned by a gay french couple developed monkeypox. The Italian greyhound was sharing a bed with the couple. The virus is thought to have been acquired by the two Parisian men, aged 44 and 27, through sexual contact with other males when they were in a non-monogamous relationship.
According to the couple, they discovered pustules on their pet’s stomach. A PCR test confirmed their pet had the virus.
The recent outbreak of the virus is dubbed a rising international health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to a report by The Lancet, a medical journal, the dog was sharing the bed with the couple. The dog may have licked either one or both of them before licking itself. Additionally, the 44-year-old man has HIV with undetectable viral loads on antiretrovirals.
More on the transmission
The 44-year-old first presented with skin ulcers. Following this, there were rashes on his face, ears, and legs. His partner had rashes on his back and legs. Additionally, they were experiencing headaches, fever, and weakness. “To the best of our knowledge, the kinetics of symptom onset in both patients and, subsequently, in their dog suggest human-to-dog transmission of monkeypox virus,” stated Sophie Seang. Seans is a part of the research team from Sorbonne University’s Infectious Diseases department.
Following the confirmation of Monkeypox in June, the men experienced severe rashes and ulcers. Their dog began displaying similar symptoms after 12 days. However, after the couple began showing symptoms, they took care to keep their dog away from other people or animals. This might have helped in ensuring a lower transmission rate.
