Here’s something to bark about.
Experts say a respiratory virus that originated in man’s best friend could be a major threat to public health.
Canine coronavirus, also known as CCoV, is associated with stomach illness in dogs and serious infections in humans.
A team of infectious disease experts reviewed all available research data relative to CCoV and published their findings and warnings this month in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Though the data is limited, they said the newly detected canine coronavirus is “a major threat to public health.”
Among the data reviewed was a 2021 study by the University of Florida that isolated CCoV in a medical professional who traveled from Florida to Haiti in 2017 and later reported symptoms of fever and exhaustion.
Also in 2021, scientists at the University of Texas identified a new strain, isolated from a child in Malaysia. The two strains were nearly identical.
Genomic sequencing found that the one in Malaysia shared characteristics with other viruses known to have infected cats and pigs but was mostly similar to one known to have infected dogs.
It has been documented among people in Arkansas and Southeast Asia, suggesting this strain has gone global.
Experts warn that, without preventive measures, a virus like CCoV could gain traction among humans and lead to a pandemic similar to what we experienced with COVID-19.
“Our review of the literature indicates this virus poses respiratory disease threats to humans, yet little has been done to respond to or prevent infection,” said co-author John Lednicky, a research professor in the Department of Environmental and Global Health at the University of Florida’s College of Public Health.
In addition to the canine coronavirus, the researchers warn about influenza D, which is associated with pigs and cows.
“If these viruses evolve the capacity to easily transmit person to person, they may be able to cause epidemics or pandemics since most people won’t have immunity to them,” he continued.
Lednicky and other experts maintain that mitigating the risks involves virus monitoring, reliable testing and possibly developing a vaccine.
The warnings about the potentially devastating effects of canine coronavirus come on the heels, or paws, of the discovery of a highly transmissible COVID-19 variant, XFG, informally known as “Stratus.”
The XFG variant has been driving case numbers during winter’s respiratory virus season, making it the dominant COVID strain.
A hybrid of two Omicron substrains was initially detected in January 2025 in Southeast Asia and in the US in the spring.
To protect against COVID and other respiratory viruses, health experts advise practicing good hygiene, improving indoor air ventilation and filtration and staying up to date with vaccines.
