Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Feline coronavirus infection rates in Istanbul cats from 2009 to 2014
By B. K. Tekelioglu et al.·Published in Preventive Veterinary Medicine·2015·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: A retrospective clinical and epidemiological study on feline coronavirus (FCoV) in cats in Istanbul, Turkey
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 169 cats in Istanbul, both household and stray, were tested for feline coronavirus (FCoV) and other viruses due to health issues. About 37% of these cats had antibodies to FCoV, with symptoms like fluid buildup in the abdomen and fever seen in 19% of them. Most of the cats showing these severe symptoms were FCoV positive, and unfortunately, a significant number did not survive despite receiving veterinary care. This study highlights the seriousness of FCoV in cats and suggests that cat owners should be aware of how to prevent the spread of this virus, especially since there is currently no effective vaccine available.
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Abstract
The presence of antibodies to feline coronavirus (FCoV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), together with feline leukemia virus (FeLV) antigen was investigated in 169 ill household and stray cats attending a veterinary surgery in Istanbul in 2009–14. The estimated FCoV and FIV seroprevalence (95% confidence intervals) were 37% (30–45%) and 11% (6–16%), respectively and FeLV prevalence was 1% (0–3%). FCoV seroprevalence increased until 2 years of age, was highest in 2014 and among household cats living with other cats and with outdoor access, and was lower in FIV seropositive compared to seronegative cats. Symptoms typically associated with wet feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) including ascites, abdominal distention or pleural effusion, coupled in many cases with non-antibiotic responsive fever, were observed in 19% (32/169) of cats, and 75% (24/32) of these cats were FCoV seropositive. FCoV seropositivity was also associated with a high white blood cell count, high plasma globulin, low plasma albumin and low blood urea nitrogen. The percentage of FCoV seropositive and seronegative cats that died in spite of supportive veterinary treatment was 33% (21/63) and 12% (13/106), respectively. These results indicate that FCoV is widespread and has a severe clinical impact in cats from Istanbul. Moreover, the incidence of FCoV infections could be rising, and in the absence of effective vaccination cat owners need to be made aware of ways to minimize the spread of this virus.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/25687627