Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Feline papillomavirus rarely found in cat mouth tumors
By Munday, John S & French, Adrienne F·Published in Research in veterinary science·2015·Department of Pathobiology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Felis catus papillomavirus types 1 and 4 are rarely present in neoplastic and inflammatory oral lesions of cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study looked at oral cancers in cats, specifically squamous cell carcinomas, to see if they were linked to certain viruses known as papillomaviruses. Researchers found that out of 36 cancer samples, only one had evidence of the virus FcaPV-1, and none showed the other virus, FcaPV-4. This suggests that while FcaPV-1 can infect cats' mouths without causing symptoms, it is unlikely to be a cause of these oral cancers. The findings indicate that other factors are likely responsible for the high rates of oral squamous cell carcinomas in cats.
People also search for: cat oral cancer symptoms · feline squamous cell carcinoma treatment · papillomavirus in cats
Abstract
Oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) are common feline cancers. Why OSCCs are so common in cats is unknown; however, 25% of human OSCCs are caused by papillomaviruses (PVs). Two feline oral PVs (FcaPV-1 and 4) are recognized. As PVs are highly host and location specific, if PVs do cause feline OSCCs, FcaPV-1 and 4 are the most likely etiological agents. PCR primers specific for FcaPV-1 amplified DNA from 1 of 36 feline OSCCs and 1 of 16 inflammatory oral lesions. No DNA was amplified by primers specific for FcaPV-4. PV DNA was not amplified from any additional sample using consensus primers. No PV cytopathology was visible in the OSCC that contained FcaPV-1 DNA, but viral cytopathology was present in a focus of epithelial hyperplasia in the non-neoplastic sample. This study does not support a PV etiology of feline OSCCs, but shows that FcaPV-1 can asymptomatically infect the mouth of cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25795095/