Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Calicivirus co-infections in herpesvirus pneumonia in kittens.
- Journal:
- Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)
- Year:
- 2018
- Authors:
- Monne Rodriguez, Josep et al.
- Affiliation:
- School of Veterinary Science · United Kingdom
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
This study looked at kittens with pneumonia caused by felid herpesvirus-1 (FeHV-1), a common virus that affects cats' respiratory systems, to see if they also had a co-infection with feline calicivirus (FCV). The researchers found that about 62% of the kittens had both viruses present in their lungs. They observed that the damage from FeHV-1 might make it easier for FCV to infect the kittens because the first virus weakens the lungs' ability to clear out infections. This suggests that when kittens have pneumonia from FeHV-1, they are likely to also have FCV. The findings indicate that co-infections are common in these cases.
Abstract
Felid herpesvirus-1 (FeHV-1) and feline calicivirus (FCV) are the most important infectious causes of respiratory disease in cats. FeHV-1 and FCV co-infections are common in cats with upper respiratory tract disease, but it is unknown whether such co-infections also occur in cats with pneumonia. This study examined the lungs of naturally infected cats with FeHV-1 pneumonia for FCV co-infection by histopathology and immunohistochemistry. The frequency of FCV (13/21, 62%) in this group of cats suggests that co-infection is common in kittens with FeHV-1 pneumonia. FCV infected macrophages were often found in the lumen of FeHV-1 affected airways. In 8/13 (62%) cats, typical FCV lesions were distant from changes induced by FeHV-1. FCV infection of type II pneumocytes/alveolar macrophages was apparent in histologically unaltered areas. It is likely that damage to airways induced by FeHV-1 facilitates secondary infection with FCV due to reduced mucociliary clearance and impaired immune defences.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29871741/