Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How common is feline coronavirus in cats with chronic diarrhea
By Norsworthy, Gary D et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2025·Alamo Feline Health Center, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Feline Coronavirus Prevalence in 493 Cats With Chronic Diarrhea.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 493 cats with chronic diarrhea was examined to see how common feline coronavirus (FCoV) was among them. The results showed that 65% of these cats tested positive for FCoV, with younger cats under one year old being more likely to have the virus. Other pathogens were also found, but FCoV was the most prevalent. This raises questions about whether FCoV could be causing the diarrhea or if it is just a harmless virus. It's important for pet owners to discuss these findings with their veterinarian to determine the best course of action for their cat's health.
People also search for: cat chronic diarrhea causes · feline coronavirus treatment · why is my cat having diarrhea
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chronic diarrhea (CD) is common in cats, with unknown etiology in many cases. OBJECTIVES: To establish the prevalence of feline coronavirus (FCoV) and other enteropathogens in cats with CD. ANIMALS: Veterinarians at a feline specialty practice examined 493 cats with CD. The breed of three (0.6%) was unknown; 373 (75.7%) were non-purebred, and 117 (23.7%) purebred. METHODS: Retrospective database review of 586 fecal sample results of an RT-PCR and PCR diarrheal panel. RESULTS: Feline coronavirus was found in 321 (65.1%) of 493 cats with CD. FCoV RNA and Clostridium perfringens toxin DNA were detected in 377 (64.3%) and 319 (54.4%) samples respectively: 206 (35.2%) samples were positive for both pathogens. Feline coronavirus was the sole pathogen detected in 118 (23.9%) cats. Samples from 203 cats under 1 year old were significantly (p = 0.0001) more frequently FCoV positive than samples from older cats (166/224 [74.1%] samples vs. 211/362 [58.3%]). FCoV RT-PCR positivity peaked in February (p = 0.016) and March (p = 0.0064). Other detected pathogens included Giardia spp. (8.4%; 49/586 samples); Tritrichomonas blagburni (8.4%; 46/586); Cryptosporidium (5.1%; 30/586); Campylobacter jejuni (3.4%; 17/497); Campylobacter coli (1.6%; 8/497); Salmonella spp. (0.8%; 5/586); panleukopenia virus (0.8%; 5/586); and Toxoplasma gondii (0.5%; 3/586). Sixty-nine cats gave 162 samples: 54/69 (78.3%) cats were FCoV positive, 39/54 (72.2%) persistently so. CONCLUSIONS: If FCoV is non-pathogenic, as often assumed, its having the highest rate of positivity in CD cases is difficult to explain. If pathogenic and overlooked, key diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities might be missed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41771138/