Feline upper respiratory tract infections (cat flu)

Question 1

What can cause cat flu?

Answer 1

Feline herpes virus (FeHV-1)
Feline calicivirus (FCV)
Bordatella bronchiseptica
Chlamydophila felis
Mycoplasmas, Haemophilus felis

Question 2

What are the key symptoms to distinguish between FCV and FeHV-1?

Answer 2

FCV - oral ulceration

FeHV-1 - sicker, and eye disease

Question 3

What type of virus is Feline herpes virus?

Answer 3

Double stranded DNA

Question 4

What type of virus is feline calicivirus?

Answer 4

Single stranded RNA

Question 5

Does feline herpes virus have an envelope? What effect does this have on it?

Answer 5

Glycoprotein lipid envelope

Doesn’t survive more than a day outside host

Question 6

Does feline calicivirus have an envelope? What effect does this have on it?

Answer 6

No

Doesn’t survive more than 1 week outside the host

Question 7

How many serotypes/strains are there of FeHV-1 and FCV

Answer 7

Herpes - 1

FCV - many

Question 8

What are the clinical signs of feline herpes virus?

Answer 8

Sneezing 
Nasal discharge 
Ocular discharge
Conjuncitivitis
Hypersalivation 
Pyrexia
Dyspnoea
Lethargy 
Coughing

Question 9

What are the clinical signs of feline calicivirus?

Answer 9

Oral ulceration
Lameness
Chronic stomatitis (inflammation of mouth and lips)
Nasal discharge, sneezing, virulent systemic disease

Question 10

In which virus is shifting lameness seen? In which cats is this present?

Answer 10

Feline calicivirus

Young cats with respiratory disease and pyrexia

Question 11

What is virulent systemic disease in FCV?

Answer 11

Haemorrhagic syndrome - facial and paw oedema, necrosis, ulceration, haemorrhage in nose and face

Question 12

Cats are vaccinated against FCV. What does FCV cause that cats aren’t vaccinated against?

Answer 12

Virulent systemic disease/haemorrhagic syndrome

Question 13

What is the pathogenesis for feline herpes virus?

Answer 13

Oronasal infection

Multiply in oral/respiratory tissues

Question 14

How long is the incubation for FeHV?

Answer 14

2-6 days

Question 15

How long does it take for clinical signs to resolve in FeHV?

Answer 15

20 days (low mortality)

Question 16

What can be a complication of FeHV and what does this cause?

Answer 16

Turbinate damage

Chronic rhinitis

Question 17

What eye diseases does FeHV cause?

Answer 17

Corneal ulceration
Keratitis
Conjunctivitis

Question 18

What Tx is given to eye disease caused by FeHV? Give an example

Answer 18

Topical nucleoside analogues

Trifluridine

Question 19

How long do carriers of FeHV shed for?

Answer 19

Lifelong

Latent infection but is reactivated e.g. by stress

Question 20

FeHV is recrudescent. What does this mean?

Answer 20

Host sheds virus and shows clinical signs

Question 21

How long do carriers of FCV shed for? Do they show clinical signs?

Answer 21

30 days (but can be up to life)
No - clinically normal

Question 22

How can FeHV-1 and FCV be diagnosed?

Answer 22

Clinical signs
Virus isolation 
PCR
Serology
Histopathology

Question 23

What is a disadvantage of using virus isolation to diagnose FCV or FeHV-1?

Answer 23

Takes weeks for virus to be isolated (2 weeks)

Question 24

How are FCV and FeHV-1 spread/transmitted?

Answer 24

Direct contact (cat to cat via infectious discharge)
Indirect contact (fomites)
Not aerosol transmission

Question 25

Bordatella bronchoseptica is a virus capable of causing cat flu/respiratory infection. What type of virus is this? What species does it affect?

Answer 25

Gram negative Aerobic Coccabacillus Many species

Question 26

What are the clinical signs of Bordetella bronchoseptica infection?

Answer 26

``` Pyrexia Sneezing Nasal discharge Sub-mandibular lymphadenopathy Coughing Dyspnoea and cyanosis (causing bronchopneumonia) ```

Question 27

How does Bordetella Bronchiseptica cause diseases? (What is the pathogenesis)?

Answer 27

Attaches to cilia of URT Stops mucociliary escalator and mucociliary clearance Bacteria colonise and produce toxins and virulence factors

Question 28

How is Bordetella bronchi septa diagnosed?

Answer 28

Oropharyngeal/nasal swab

Question 29

What type of bacteria is Chlamydophila felis?

Answer 29

Gram -ve | Obligate intracellular parasite

Question 30

How is Chlamydophila felis transmitted?

Answer 30

By close contact

Question 31

What are the symptoms of Chlamydophila felis?

Answer 31

Unilateral and bilateral conjunctivitis | Chemosis

Question 32

How is Chlamydophila felis diagnosed?

Answer 32

PCR

Question 33

How is Chlamydophila felis treated and controlled?

Answer 33

Tx = doxycycline | Prevent high risk situations with vaccination