ABSTRACT. Cats experimentally infected with a British isolate of Chlamydophila felis (C. felis), B166 strain, by droplet into the eye and nose developed conjunctivitis, mild rhinitis and fever. The chlamydophila were first isolated from conjunctiva, nictitating membrane and then from lung, tonsil, liver, spleen, kidney, nasal and vaginal swabs and blood. These results indicate that C. felis B166 strain first infected and replicated in the conjunctiva and nictitating membrane in cats with symptoms which were mostly limited to conjunctivitis, and then pervaded the whole body by bacteremia. KEY WORDS: bacteremia, Chlamydophila felis, experimental infection.J. Vet. Med. Sci. 64(12): 1165-1168, 2002 The disease caused by Chlamydophila felis (C. felis) is clinically characterized by sneezing and coughing, accompanied by mucopurulent ocular and nasal discharges in cats [1]. Nowadays, C. felis is primarily considered an ocular pathogen with or without rhinitis in cats rather than a pulmonary pathogen [3,9,16].There have been a few reports of seroepidemiological investigation of feline chlamydiosis in Japan [4,7,10,18]. Mochizuki et al. reported that C. felis was found in 26.9% of diseased cats with conjunctivitis and rhinits [7]. Yan et al. reported that the rate of prevalence of C. felis antibodies was 45.5% in stray cats and 12.3% in pet cats [18]. These reports suggest widespread chlamydophila infected in cats in Japan.Cats experimentally infected with C. felis developed conjunctivitis, ocular discharges and fever, and this organism has been isolated from some tissues of experimentally infected cats [5,6,13,15]. However, the time course of the disease and of the spread of the organism in the bodies of infected cats are not known clearly.In this report, we describe the characteristics of clinical disease produced by C. felis after ocular and intranasal exposure. The distribution of C. felis in the bodies of cats was also examined by isolation and immunohistological and pathological examinations.C. felis B166 strain used in this experiment was isolated from a cat with conjunctivitis in the United Kingdom in 1984 [14].Twenty-six specific pathogen free (SPF) cats 2 to 6 months old were obtained from a colony maintained on an SPF animal farm. The SPF status of the cats was verified by the culturing of conjunctival swabs in embryonated hens' eggs for chlamydia, CRFK cells for virus, mycoplasma liquid media for mycoplasma, and thioglycolate media for bacteria, and the samples were all negative for these agents. The cats were kept in individual cages, fed commercial dry cat food and supplied water properly. The cats were randomly divided into 11 groups of two or four cats each. Two control cats were kept in a separate room. The experiments were performed according to our institutional guidelines for animal experimentation.Twenty-five microliters of suspension containing 10 3.0 ELD 50 (50% embryo lethal dose) of virulent, egggrown feline C. felis B166 strain were inoculated by droplet into the eye and nose of a cat. The ELD 5...

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Autoantibodies to melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5) are associated with a subset of patients with dermatomyositis (DM) who have rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD) with poor prognosis. Intensive immunosuppressive therapy is initiated before irreversible lung damage can occur; however, there are few lines of evidence for the treatment of RP-ILD. Here, we report three cases of anti-MDA5 antibody-associated DM with RP-ILD in which the patients were treated with combined-modality therapy, including high-dose prednisolone, tacrolimus, intravenous cyclophosphamide and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). In all three cases, serum ferritin levels, which are known to represent the disease activity of RP-ILD, were decreased after IVIG administration. IVIG might contribute to the control of the disease activity of anti-MDA5 antibody-positive DM. Moreover, palmar violaceous macules/papules around the interphalangeal joints, which was observed in all three cases in the incipient stage, might be a useful sign in suggesting a diagnosis of anti-MDA5 antibody-associated DM.

ABSTRACT. Eight strains of Chlamydia psittaci were isolated in Japan from the nasal and conjunctival swabs of six household cats using the L929 cell line of mouse fibroblast origin. The isolates were identified as C. psittaci on the basis of the formation of characteristic inclusion bodies in the cell culture detected by Giemsa stain and immunofluorescence. Comparison of nucleotide sequences of the ompA gene amplified from the three isolates with the published sequence of feline FEPN strain of C. psittaci showed almost 100% homology.

The protective efficacy of intranasal (IN) administration of inactivated feline calicivirus (FCV) vaccine against homologous or heterologous FCV infection was investigated. Groups of cats immunized with the experimental inactivated, non-adjuvanted FCV vaccine via either the IN or subcutaneous (SC) route were exposed to homologous or highly heterologous FCV. Both the IN and SC immunization protocols established robust protection against homologous FCV infection. Although neither immunization regimen conferred protection against the heterologous strain, clinical scores and virus titres of oral swabs were lower in cats in the IN group compared to those in the SC group, accompanying a faster neutralizing antibody response against the heterologous virus in cats in the IN group. The IN group secreted more IgA specific to FCV proteins in oral washes (lavage fluids from the oral cavity) than the SC group. IN immunization with an inactivated whole FCV particle, which protects cats from homologous virus exposure and shortens the period of heterologous virus shedding, may serve as a better platform for anti-FCV vaccine.