Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Intranasal vaccine reduces herpesvirus signs and shedding in kittens
By Lappin, Michael R et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2006·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effects of a single dose of an intranasal feline herpesvirus 1, calicivirus, and panleukopenia vaccine on clinical signs and virus shedding after challenge with virulent feline herpesvirus 1.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Ten unvaccinated kittens were given a challenge with the feline herpesvirus (FHV-1) to see how well a new intranasal vaccine could protect them. Kittens that received the vaccine just 2 to 6 days before the exposure showed fewer signs of illness and lower body temperatures compared to those that weren't vaccinated. Specifically, the kittens vaccinated 6 days prior had less viral shedding, meaning they spread the virus less than the unvaccinated group. Overall, the vaccine helped reduce the severity of symptoms and the amount of virus the kittens released after being exposed to FHV-1.
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Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine whether intranasal administration of a commercially available FVRCP vaccine to kittens lessened clinical signs and feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV-1) viral shedding when compared to unvaccinated control kittens after FHV-1 challenge. Three groups of 10 unvaccinated kittens were administered one dose of vaccine 6 days (group 1), 4 days (group 2), or 2 days (group 3) before challenge, respectively. One group was maintained as unvaccinated controls (group 4). FHV-1 challenge was then induced and the kittens were observed for 14 days. When the grouped vaccinated kitten results (groups 1-3) were compared to group 4 results, clinical scores following challenge were significantly lower (P<0.05) and significantly lower body temperatures (P<0.05) were detected on days 0, 5 and 9 post-challenge. When evaluated by individual group, group 1 and group 2 kittens had significantly lower clinical scores (P<0.05) than group 4 kittens post-challenge. In addition, FHV-1 shedding was lower in group 1 kittens when compared to group 4 kittens on day 6 after challenge (P<0.05). Administration of this vaccine within several days prior to exposure lessened clinical signs of disease and FHV-1 shedding compared to unvaccinated kittens.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16442823/