Lecture 8: Feline Viruses 1

Question 1

How would you describe the efficacy of feline herpesvirus type 1 vaccine

Answer 1

• Respiratory vaccines are moderately effective but not great

Question 2

What type of disease does feline herpesvirus type 1 cause

Answer 2

• Causes feline rhinotracheitis and latency that can be reactivated

Question 3

Describe the features of the feline herpesvirus type 1

Answer 3

• Order: Herpesvirales, Family: Herpesviridae, Subfamily: alphaherpesvirinae, Genus Varicellovirus
• dsDNA virus

Question 4

Describe the infection process of feline herpesvirus type 1

Answer 4

Infection
* susceptible/non-immune cat: becomes infected = acute infection + high viral shedding in saliva/nasal discharge
* Cat recovers: enters latency in trigeminal ganglion + no shedding
* Under stress/glucocorticoid treatment = reactivated + viral shedding in nearest mucosal area (lips/nose)

Question 5

What are the clinical signs on feline herpesvirus type 1

Answer 5

Clinically
* Acute disease (main): rhinitis/conjunctivitis/corneal ulcers/pyrexia
* Atypical disease: dermatitis/viremia/pneumonia
* Chronic: stromal keratitis/chronic rhinosinusitis
* Kittens affected lifelong: susceptible to recurrent bacterial infection = recurrent rhinitis + green discharge  may prompt euthanasia

Question 6

What are the viral features of feline calcivirus

Answer 6

• Family: calciviridae, Genus: vesivirus
• (+)ssRNA, small = higher mutation rate (makes vaccination difficult)

Question 7

Describe the shedding pattern of feline calcivirus

Answer 7

• Susceptible animal: acute infection and high viral shedding
  o Recover without disease or shedding
  o Recover but persistent shedding
  o Recover with intermittent shedding
• Shed: cats with acute disease via oral/nasal discharge + continue shedding 30d post infection (some for years or lifelong)

Question 8

How does the type of virus that feline calcivirus is, affect infections

Answer 8

• Can re-infect already immune animal because RNA virus and new strains occur frequently

Question 9

What arre the clinical signs of feline calcivirus

Answer 9

• Main: Acute oral/upper resp disease
• Feline chronic gingivostomatitis
• Limping
• Paw and mouth disease
• Virulent systemic feline calicivirus infection

Question 10

What are the features of acute/upper resp disease of feline calcivirus

Answer 10

o Co-infection with feline herpes virus type 1, chlamydia felis, or mycoplasma felis
o Oral ulcers/sneeze/serous nasal discharge/fever/anorexia/hypersalivation
o Resolve in a few days – more severe in young
o Symptomatic treatment

Question 11

What are the features of feline chronic gingivostomatitis of feline calcivirus

Answer 11

o Inflammation – caudal stomatitis or mucositis (gums/around tonsil)
o Caudal stomatitis must be identified to diagnose feline chronic ginigivostomatitis

Question 12

What are the features of limping syndrome of feline calcivirus

Answer 12

o Due to acute viremia – immune complexes
o Can be associated with the feline calicivirus vaccine (live attenuated)
o Transient and shifts between limbs

Question 13

What are the features of paw and mouth dz of feline calcivirus

Answer 13

rare

Question 14

What are the features of Virulent systemic feline calicivirus infection of feline calcivirus

Answer 14

• Virulent systemic feline calicivirus infection – high mortality (70%)
  o Facial edema/vasculitis
  o Hair loss
  o Not caused by vaccination, cannot be prevented by vaccine – not caused by thee same calicivirus that causes the respiratory problems
  o Not in Canada yet

Question 15

What are the viral features of feline panleukopenia virus

Answer 15

• Parvovirus – ssDNA, non enveloped = very stable in environment
  o Can change more than the dsDNA – must update vaccines more frequently

Question 16

Describe the pathogenesis of feline panleukopenia virus in cats/kittens

Answer 16

• Replicate in lymphoid tissue: thymus/spleen/bone marrow/embryonic tissue (+/- brain if kitten is young and developing)
  o Then migrates to enterocytes/rapidly dividing cells
  o Takes time
  o Intrauterine infection: feline panleukopenia virus antigen in cerebellum of kitten for weeks = ataxia

Question 17

Describe the type of infection feline panleukopenia creates

Answer 17

hit and run virus infection
* Persistent infection and viral shedding = rare

Question 18

What features of feline panleukopenia virus influence the biosecurity measures you need to take

Answer 18

very stable in environment (if you don’t properly disinfect with bleach = virus can persist for 6 months)

Question 19

What are the clinical signs of feline panleukopenia virus infection

Answer 19

Clinically
* Older: GI issues/hemorrhagic enteritis/diarrhea
* Young: neurologic (cerebellum) problems + death
* Cerebellar hypoplasia of kitten
* Severe dehydration

Question 20

How to prevent feline panleukopenia virus

Answer 20

Prevent: vaccines are very protective

Question 21

Can panleukopenia transmit to other animals

Answer 21

• Different strains of parvovirus can infect dogs only, cats only, and some can infect cats and dogs

Question 22

What are the most important strains of influenza

Answer 22

• H5N1 and H7N1 are the most important strains

Question 23

How can cats get influenza? How does it affect them

Answer 23

• H5N1 can spread from domestic birds to cats
  o Can become infected after ingestion of contaminated carcasses/milk
• Very high mortality in cats

Question 24

How is cowpox virus transmitted

Answer 24

• From rodents

Question 25

Where is cowpox located? and what kind of catss is it associated with?

Answer 25

• Zoonotic – wear gloves!!
• Associated with outdoor cats

Question 26

What is a relevant concern regarding cowpox?

Answer 26

• Zoonotic – wear gloves!! – can result in necrotizing ulcers in people

Question 27

Clinical signs of cowpox in cats

Answer 27

• Causes skin lesions and infiltration of organs

Question 28

What is the genus of sars-cov2, what other virus is included

Answer 28

• Genus: Betacoronavirus (contain SARS/MERS)
  o Severe acute respiratory syndrome
  o Middle east respiratory syndrome

Question 29

What species is Sars-Cov2 transmitted to in cats

Answer 29

• Transmission between cats, or human to cats (not cats to humans)