Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Oral raltegravir effects on eye and breathing herpes in cats
By Spertus, Chloe B et al.·Published in American journal of veterinary research·2019·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effects of orally administered raltegravir in cats with experimentally induced ocular and respiratory feline herpesvirus-1 infection.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 14 healthy 6-month-old cats developed eye and breathing problems after being infected with feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1). Half of the cats were treated with raltegravir, an antiviral medication, while the other half received a placebo. The cats that received raltegravir showed less severe symptoms and had a shorter duration of the virus shedding compared to those that did not receive the medication. This suggests that raltegravir could help reduce the severity of eye and respiratory issues caused by FHV-1 in cats.
People also search for: cat eye infection treatment · feline herpesvirus symptoms · raltegravir for cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of orally administered raltegravir in cats with experimentally induced ocular and respiratory feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1) infection. ANIMALS: 14 healthy 6-month-old unvaccinated specific pathogen-free cats. PROCEDURES: On day 0, all cats were experimentally inoculated by topical application of 0.1 mL of a solution containing 10plaque-forming units of FHV-1 strain FH2CS to the inferior conjunctival fornix of each eye. Cats were randomly assigned to receive either raltegravir (80 mg; n = 7) or lactose (250 mg; vehicle; 7), PO, every 12 hours for 14 days beginning on day 1. Cats were assigned clinical ocular and respiratory disease scores every other day from days 0 to 30. Conjunctival swab specimens were collected for detection of FHV-1 by virus isolation and real-time PCR assay at 3-day intervals from days 0 to 30. Confocal microscopy was performed on days 0 and 10 to assess corneal epithelial leukocyte infiltration. The assessed variables and duration of FHV-1 shedding were compared between the 2 treatment groups. RESULTS: Cats in both groups developed moderate to severe conjunctivitis and ulcerative keratitis characteristic of FHV-1 infection. Median duration of FHV-1 shedding was shorter and signs of ocular and respiratory disease were less severe for raltegravir-treated cats than for vehicle-treated cats. However, the mean conjunctival FHV-1 titer and corneal epithelial leukocyte count did not differ between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested orally administered raltegravir might be effective for alleviation of ocular and respiratory signs of FHV-1 infection in cats. (2019;80:490-497).
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31034270/