Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Upper respiratory disease and risk factors in shelter cats in coastal
By Gourkow, Nadine et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2013·School of Veterinary Science, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Descriptive epidemiology of upper respiratory disease and associated risk factors in cats in an animal shelter in coastal western Canada.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 250 cats at an animal shelter in coastal Canada were tested for upper respiratory disease (URD) to see how factors like age and sterilization affected their risk of infection. About 28% of the cats were found to carry infectious agents related to URD, with the most common being Mycoplasma felis. Stray cats were more likely to develop URD compared to those surrendered by owners, and neutered cats had a lower risk than intact ones. Cats that were already shedding infectious agents when they arrived were significantly more likely to get sick.
People also search for: cat upper respiratory disease symptoms · shelter cat infection risk · neutered vs intact cat health · Mycoplasma felis in cats
Abstract
We examined 250 cats at an animal shelter in the coastal temperate region of Canada to determine whether age, source, gender, and sterilization status influenced risk of shedding at intake, transmission of infection, and development of clinical upper respiratory disease (URD). On admission, 28% of the cats were positive for 1 or more infectious agent related to URD; 21% were carriers of Mycoplasma felis and < 3% were carriers of feline calicivirus (FCV), feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1) or Bordetella bronchiseptica. Chlamydophila felis and H1N1 influenza virus were not detected. Carrier status was not affected by source, gender, sterilization status, or age (P > 0.05). Viral and bacterial shedding increased by 9% and 11%, respectively, over 3 sampling times (days 1, 4, and 10). Over 40 days after admission, the cumulative probability of developing URD was 2.2 times greater for stray than owner-surrendered cats (P = 0.02) and 0.5 times as great for neutered cats as for intact cats (P = 0.03). Cats that were shedding at intake were 2.6 times more likely to develop URD than were non-carriers (P < 0.002). Cats with FHV-1 and B. bronchiseptica infections were most at risk compared with non-shedding cats (P < 0.01).
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23904635/