Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Do cat litters reduce feline coronavirus infection in cats and cell
By Addie, Diane et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2020·Institute of Comparative Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effect of cat litters on feline coronavirus infection of cell culture and cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study looked at how different types of cat litter affect the spread of feline coronavirus (FCoV), which can lead to a serious illness called feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). Researchers found that some litters, especially those made from Fuller's earth, were better at reducing the virus's ability to infect cats. In households with multiple cats, using certain Fuller's earth litters seemed to lower the amount of virus shed by the cats. While these litters didn't completely stop the virus from spreading, they showed promise in helping to manage the infection risk in multi-cat environments.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is caused by infection with feline coronavirus (FCoV). FCoV is incredibly contagious and transmission is via the faecal-oral route. FCoV infection, and therefore FIP, is most common in breeder and rescue catteries, where many cats are kept indoors, using litter trays. Whether it is possible to break the cycle of FCoV infection and reinfection using cat litters has never been investigated. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of cat litters on FCoV infectivity and virus load in multi-cat households, and transmission frequency. METHODS: Fifteen cat litters were mixed and incubated with FCoV, centrifuged and the supernatants tested in vitro for the ability to prevent virus infection of cell culture. To test applicability of in vitro results to real life, virus load was measured in two households in a double crossover study of four Fuller's earth-based cat litters by testing rectal swabs using FCoV reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR. RESULTS: Four litters abrogated FCoV infection of cell culture, nine reduced it to a greater or lesser extent and two had no effect. One brand had different virus inhibitory properties depending on where it was manufactured. Fuller's earth-based litters performed best, presumably by adsorbing virus. In the field study, there appeared to be less virus shedding on one Fuller's earth-based cat litter. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The in vitro study successfully identified cat litters that inactivate FCoV; such litters exist so do not need to be developed. Fuller's earth-based litters best prevented infection of cell culture, but did not completely abrogate FCoV transmission in two multi-cat households. A dust-free clumping Fuller's earth litter appeared to fare best, but virus shedding also varied on the control litters, complicating interpretation. Sawdust-based cat litters are not useful in FCoV-endemic households because they track badly and have a poor effect on virus infection.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31094626/