Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fatal salmonella outbreak in kittens after panleukopenia vaccine
By Foley, J E et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1999·Department of Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Outbreak of fatal salmonellosis in cats following use of a high-titer modified-live panleukopenia virus vaccine.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 14-week-old kitten from a cattery suddenly became weak and had a nosebleed just 10 days after receiving a vaccine for several viruses, including panleukopenia. Sadly, the kitten died the next day, and a necropsy revealed severe infections and damage in various organs, with Salmonella bacteria found in its lymph nodes and spleen. The breeder reported that four other kittens had died shortly after receiving the same vaccine, and tests showed that some of the remaining kittens were also shedding Salmonella. While the vaccination may have weakened the kittens' immune systems, making them more susceptible to the infection, it’s unclear if the vaccine directly caused the salmonellosis.
People also search for: kitten sudden weakness after vaccination · salmonella in kittens · panleukopenia vaccine side effects · kitten nosebleed causes · cattery kitten health issues
Abstract
A 14-week-old kitten from a private cattery was examined because of an acute onset of recumbency and epistaxis 10 days after receiving a high-titer modified-live virus vaccine containing panleukopenia virus, calicivirus, and herpesvirus components. The kitten died the following day, and intestinal crypt necrosis; hepatic, splenic, and lymph node inflammation and necrosis; and pneumonia were seen at necropsy. Salmonella typhimurium was isolated from mesenteric lymph nodes and the spleen. The breeder reported that 4 other kittens had died in the previous month, each within 1 to 2 weeks after being vaccinated with the same modified-live virus vaccine. Carcasses of 3 kittens were available for examination, and Salmonella sp was isolated from mesenteric lymph nodes of all 3. Villus crypt necrosis and secondary fibrosis were also found. Three of the remaining 12 kittens in the cattery were also found to be shedding Salmonella sp in their feces. Clinical and pathologic findings in these kittens were likely attributable to salmonellosis and panleukopenia, and suggest that mild immunosuppression induced by vaccination could have facilitated development of fatal salmonellosis in subclinical carrier kittens. However, we cannot prove that vaccination actually played any role.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9887942/