Poxviruses in dogs and cats: a genuine threat?

During the global Mpox outbreak, the potential role of dogs and cats in the epidemiological chain of monkeypox virus was suspected. Additionally, Brazil is endemic for vaccinia virus and the recently described Brazilian porcupinepox virus, both of which require further investigation regarding their potential reservoirs. Given that dogs and cats are among the most popular pets worldwide and that poxvirus infections could impact multispecies households, this study aimed to assess the circulation of poxviruses in pets during the Mpox pandemic. A pan-pox polymerase chain reaction assay was applied to blood samples from 608 dogs and 271 cats. Despite the potential for detecting poxviruses in companion animals, no molecular evidence of poxvirus infection was found in the studied population.