Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Feline herpesvirus.
- Journal:
- Veterinary research
- Year:
- 2007
- Authors:
- Gaskell, Rosalind et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Pathology · United Kingdom
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Feline herpesvirus (FHV-1) is a virus that affects cats and can cause serious problems like upper respiratory infections and eye issues. Once a cat has been infected, it can carry the virus without showing symptoms but may have flare-ups, especially when stressed. There are vaccines available that can help protect cats from getting sick, but they don't completely prevent infection or the virus from being passed on. New types of vaccines are being developed, but they aren't available for use yet. Overall, while there are ways to help manage the disease, the virus can still remain in a cat's system.
Abstract
Feline herpesvirus (FHV-1; felid herpesvirus 1 (FeHV-1)) is an alphaherpesvirus of cats closely related to canine herpesvirus-1 and phocine herpesvirus-1. There is only one serotype of the virus and it is relatively homogenous genetically. FeHV-1 is an important cause of acute upper respiratory tract and ocular disease in cats. In addition, its role in more chronic ocular disease and skin lesions is increasingly being recognised. Epidemiologically, FeHV-1 behaves as a typical alphaherpesvirus whereby clinically recovered cats become latently infected carriers which undergo periodic episodes of virus reactivation, particularly after a stress. The primary site of latency is the trigeminal ganglion. Conventional inactivated and modified-live vaccines are available and protect reasonably well against disease but not infection, although viral shedding may be reduced. Genetically engineered vaccines have also been developed, both for FeHV-1 and as vector vaccines for other pathogens, but none is as yet marketed.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17296160/