Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Domestic Cat Hepadnavirus in UK cats with and without uveitis
By Jeanes, Emily C et al.Ā·Published in Veterinary ophthalmologyĀ·2022Ā·Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, United KingdomĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Comparison of the prevalence of Domestic Cat Hepadnavirus in a population of cats with uveitis and in a healthy blood donor cat population in the United Kingdom.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Two cats with eye problems called uveitis were found to have a new virus called Domestic Cat Hepadnavirus (DCH) in a study, while healthy cats did not show any signs of this virus. Uveitis can cause symptoms like redness, swelling, and sensitivity to light in cats. Although the presence of DCH was confirmed in the UK, the study did not find a clear connection between this virus and uveitis. More research is needed to understand if DCH might be linked to other health issues in cats. If your cat has eye problems, it's a good idea to discuss this with your veterinarian.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Domestic Cat Hepadnavirus (DCH) is a novel virus recently identified in the domestic cat. Currently, little is known regarding its clinical significance. The hepadnaviridae family includes the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV). Co-infection of HBV and Hepatitis C in humans increases the risk of uveitis. We aimed to determine whether DCH is present in the United Kingdom (UK) and whether DCH warrants investigation as a potential cause of uveitis in cats. PROCEDURES: Clinical records from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and the Animal Health Trust (AHT) were reviewed for feline cases diagnosed with endogenous uveitis. A healthy control group was identified from cats presented to the RVC as blood donors. DNA was extracted from stored blood samples using commercially available kits. Polymerase chain reaction assays were performed to confirm the presence of feline DNA and to detect the presence of DCH DNA using previously described protocols. RESULTS: Blood samples were available from 65 cats with endogenous uveitis and 43 healthy control cats. Two blood samples from cats with endogenous uveitis tested positive for the presence of DCH DNA. DCH DNA was not detected in the control group. There was no statistically significant difference between the prevalence of DCH between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Domestic Cat Hepadnavirus is present in the UK. This study failed to demonstrate a conclusive link between DCH and uveitis in cats, although further studies to investigate an association with other feline diseases are warranted.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34806802/