High occurrence of felid alphaherpesvirus 1 and feline calicivirus in domestic cats from southern Brazil

Abstract

Felid alphaherpesvirus 1 (FeHV-1) and feline calicivirus (FCV) affect cats worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of occurrence of FeHV-1 and FCV in cats with clinical signs of respiratory, oral and/or ocular disease. Samples were collected from cats cared for in veterinary ambulatory and clinics and submitted to molecular detection and viral isolation. Of the 49 cats evaluated, 45 (92%) were positive for at least one of the viruses; 82% (40/49) were positive for FeHV-1 and 41% (20/49) for FCV. Of these, 31% (15/49) were coinfection cases. For FeHV-1, 45% (18/40) of the cats tested were positive from the collection of eye swab, and the same percentage (9/20) was obtained for the FCV by the oral swab. FeHV-1 and/or FCV were isolated in 35% (17/49) of the samples. The main clinical sign observed was ocular secretion in 71% (35/49) of cats, characterized as mild serous, purulent or serosanguineous, and in some cases associated with ocular injury and marked chemosis. Our findings demonstrate the high occurrence of FeHV-1 and FCV in domestic cats in southern Brazil and indicate that measures should be implemented to improve the diagnostic, prevention and management against of these important diseases.

Ressecção de pólipo nasofaríngeo inflamatório em conduto auditivo de felino doméstico: relato de caso

“…Logo na admissão, o tutor relatou que o animal tinha acesso à rua, além de 63 contactantes internos, havia contactantes externos. A gata não estava com o protocolo de imunização para doenças infecto-contagiosas atualizado e já havia apresentado sintomas como tosse, espirro, secreção nasal e ocular e apatia anteriormente, levando a crer ser um felino portador ou que já havia portado algum patógeno do conhecido Complexo Respiratório Felino, comorbidade causada, principalmente, pelos calicivírus e herpesvírus, além da bactéria Chlamydophila felis (COHN, 2011), patógenos extremamente comuns em felinos domésticos na porção Sul do Brasil (BECKER et al, 2020).…”

First Report of Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Felid Herpesvirus-1 from Symptomatic Domestic Cats in Egypt

“…A strong immune response can usually end the clinical disease within 2-3 weeks. However, it is predicted that 80% of infected cats will maintain latency in the trigeminal ganglia, and recurring episodes of rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and keratitis are prevalent upon reactivation from latency [13][14][15]. FHV-1 is a member of the order Herpesvirales, family Herpesviridae, subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae and genus Varicellovirus [16].…”