Kitten Diseases

Question 1

5 agents of upper resp infections

Answer 1

Feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV1)
Calicivirus
Bordetella bronchiseptica
Chlamydia felis
Mycoplasma spp.

Question 2

Risks to having URI in cats

Answer 2

Multi-cat environment
Poor husbandry
Overcrowding
New cats in environment

Question 3

Mode of transmission for URI in cats

Answer 3

Direct contact
Fomites (calicivirus)

Question 4

Classic case presentation of URI

Answer 4

Young cats (from multi-cat facility)
Sneezing, nasal congestion
Fever
Ocular/nasal discharge
Conjunctivitis/keratitis
Oral ulceration
+/- coughing
Hyporexia

Virulent calicivirus: dermal necrosis, peripheral edema, DIC

Question 5

FHV1

Answer 5

Acute dz in young cats; chronic dz in older cats
Will persist in the trigeminal ganglia&raquo_space;> 80% develop latent infxn for life
Crusty, reddish-brown ocular discharge (chronic latent HPV1 infxn)
Keratitis&raquo_space;> acute: ulcerative (dendritic ulcer) chronic: ulcerative or non-ulcerative
Acute phase: osteolysis, permanent damage to nasal turbinates
Chronic phase: d/t osteolysis during acute phase

Question 6

Calicivirus

Answer 6

Acute: oral ulceration, sneezing, epiphora, transient limping (ff MLV administration), fever
Chronic: ulceroproliferative and lymphoplasmacytic stomatitis and faucitis, ulcerative glossitis
67% mortality (virulent strain)

Question 7

B. bronchiseptica

Answer 7

Cross-species transmission, zoonotic
Cough, sneezing, ocular discharge
In kittens <10 wks old, may cause pneumonia

Question 8

Chlamydia felis

Answer 8

Conjunctivitis (primary sign) w/ mild URI
Acute, chronic, recurrent
<1 yr old, common
<5 yrs old, most affected
Highly contagious; tx all cats simultaneously
Doxycycline x4wks

Question 9

To which agents is vaccine available

Answer 9

B. bronchiseptica & C. felis
NOT core
Use only in at-risk multi-cat environments

Question 10

How to dx URI in cats

Answer 10

Cx/hx important
PCR of nasopharyngeal swab
CBC/chemistry, thoracic rads if unresponsive to to symptomatic tx
FeLV/FIV: screen ALL sick kittens (false + possible; FIV is an Ab test, may be d/t maternal Ab)

Question 11

How to tx URI

Answer 11

Supportive care: fluids, nutrition (esophageal feeding tube preferrable) Abx if secondary infxn
Abx: Doxycycline if Chlamydia spp., Bordetella spp.
Amox/clavulonate (broad-spectrum) for secondary infxns

Question 12

How to tx conjunctivitis

Answer 12

Artificial tears, topical terramycin

Question 13

How to tx FHV1

Answer 13

Topical (idoxuridine) and systemic (famciclovir) anti-virals

Question 14

Etiology of feline panleukopenia virus (FPV)

Answer 14

Highly contagious parvovirus
Transmission: feco-oral and fomites
Risks: multi-cat env’t, poor husbandry, overcrowding, stress

Question 15

Classic case/presentation of FPV

Answer 15

Young cats <1 y.o. (past maternally-derived Ab protection, unvax or incomplete vax)
Subclinical in ~75% cases (but still sheds virus)
Enteritis: anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, leukopenia (blood smear will suffice)
Repro: fading kitten syndrome, abortion/fetal death 1st trimester
Cerebellar in px infected in utero: ataxia, hypermetria, intention tremors

Question 16

How to dx FPV

Answer 16

ELISA (canine fecal parvovirus ELISA can detect FPV antigen)
CBC (blood smear): leukopenia w/ neutropenia, mild anemia
r/o FeLV and FIV

Question 17

How to tx FPV

Answer 17

Highly contagious! Isolation and barrier nursing important
Supportive care: IV fluids, nutrition, broad-spectrum Abx (esp if neutropenic)
Anti-nausea meds (Cerenia), appetite stimulants (Mirtazapine)

Question 18

Mode of transmission of feline infxs peritonitis (FIP)

Answer 18

Feco-oral route; feline coronavirus (FCoV) ubiquitous

Question 19

What is the pathophysiology of FCoV/FIP

Answer 19

FCoV spontaneously mutates inside host
Benigh FCoV replicates in enterocytes (mutation in spike protein), results in macrophage uptake and distribution within the body; replication of mutated FCoV in macrophages is KEY
Mutated FCoV is NOT transmitted to other cats
Immune-mediated rxn results in: widespread replication of mutated FCoV in macrophages –> pyogranulomatous vasculitis –> effusion/granulomas

Question 20

Clinical case/presentation of FIP

Answer 20

Young cats (post weaning)
3 mos to 2 yrs most affected
Purebred cats (more common) d/t multi-cat env’t
Genetic predisposition; littermates of FIP cat are 4x more likely to develop FIP