Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Chlamydia felis infection and effects in cats explained
By Chen, Jiancai et al.·Published in Veterinary microbiology·2024·College of Animal Science and Technology, China·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Isolation and characterization of Chlamydia felis and its pathogenesis in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats in China with upper respiratory symptoms, including conjunctivitis and fever, were found to have an infection caused by Chlamydia felis. Researchers isolated a specific strain of this bacteria and observed that it could spread to various organs in the body, causing severe respiratory issues. The study highlights the importance of understanding this infection in cats, which could lead to better vaccines and treatments in the future.
People also search for: cat upper respiratory infection symptoms · Chlamydia felis treatment in cats · cat conjunctivitis causes
Abstract
Feline upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) is a common but complicated disease that occurs in domestic cats, worldwide. 396 cats in Guangxi Province, China were screened for URTD-associated pathogens from March 2022 to August 2023. Mycoplasma felis was found to be the most prevalent infectious agent with a positivity rate of 24.75 %, followed by feline calicivirus (FCV), Chlamydia felis, feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV-1) and feline influenza A virus (FeIAV) with rates of 15.91, 11.62, 5.56 and 1.52 %, respectively. In particular, C. felis and M. felis were found in 13 of 55 co-infected cats. Of the 46 C. felis-positive samples, one strain, named as GXNN36, was successfully isolated using chicken embryos and it was characterized both in vivo and in vitro. For the cat studies, both high- and low-dose challenged groups showed severe conjunctivitis, accompanied by transient fever and respiratory symptoms. C. felis replicated well in turbinate, trachea and lung tissues with high copy numbers and the infection subsequently spread to the livers, spleens, pancreas, kidneys, hearts and intestines. These findings will help our understanding of the role of C. felis in feline URTD and provide a valuable model to evaluate the efficacy of vaccines and therapeutic remedies in the future.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38851154/