Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Polyarthritis and limping linked to feline calicivirus infection
By Balboni, Andrea et al.·Published in Veterinary research communications·2022·Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Natural cases of polyarthritis associated with feline calicivirus infection in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old cat with limping was diagnosed with polyarthritis linked to a feline calicivirus (FCV) infection. The cat showed signs of lameness, and tests confirmed the presence of the virus in its joints. Unfortunately, the cat had to be euthanized for ethical reasons, and a post-mortem examination revealed severe joint inflammation and damage. This case highlights how FCV can lead to long-lasting joint issues in cats.
People also search for: cat limping · feline calicivirus symptoms · polyarthritis treatment in cats
Abstract
The limping syndrome is occasionally reported during acute feline calicivirus (FCV) infections or as consequence of vaccination. In this retrospective study, three clinical cases of lameness in household cats naturally infected by FCV were described and phylogeny of the virus were investigated by analysing the hypervariable E region of the ORF2 viral gene. Cats were diagnosed with polyarthritis and FCV RNA or antigens were detected in symptomatic joints. One cat, euthanized for ethical reasons, underwent a complete post-mortem examination and was subjected to histopathological and immunohistochemical investigations. No phylogenetic subgrouping were evident for the sequenced FCV. Histopathology of the euthanized cat revealed diffuse fibrinous synovitis and osteoarthritis eight months after the onset of lameness and the first detection of FCV RNA, supporting the hypothesis of a persistent infection. FCV was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry in synoviocytes and fibroblasts of the synovial membranes. This study provides new data on the occurrence of polyarthritis in FCV-infected cats, demonstrates by immunohistochemistry the presence of FCV in the synovial membranes of a cat with persistent polyarthritis and supports the absence of correlation between limping syndrome and phylogenetic subgrouping of viruses.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35511315/