People could transmit the new coronavirus, whose disease is known as COVID-19, to dogs, cats and ferrets, although it is not yet confirmed that the transmission occurs in reverse, according to the Ministry of Health in a new document scientific-technical about the virus.

This conclusion has been reached after detecting two cases of dogs with respiratory and digestive symptoms in Hong Kong (China) and a cat in Belgium living with a person infected with the new coronavirus.

In addition, as Sanidad explains in the report, in experimental studies, infection has been observed in cats and ferrets, with active replication of the virus in the respiratory tract. A situation that has also been observed, although with "much less intensity" in dogs.

Regarding pigs, chickens and ducks, the department headed by Salvador Illa has ensured that active replication of the virus has not been observed after the experimental inoculation. "These data indicate that there could be transmission from infected humans to dogs, cats and ferrets on an occasional basis, and it is unknown whether transmission could occur from these animals to humans," Sanidad says.

In fact, the way in which the virus could be transmitted from the animal source to the first human cases is not known at the moment, although "everything points" to direct contact with infected animals or their secretions.

In studies carried out in animal models with other coronaviruses, tropism has been observed for the cells of different organs and systems, mainly producing respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms, which could indicate