Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Feline gammaherpesvirus infection rates and risks in Swiss cats
By Novacco, Marilisa et al.·Published in Viruses·2019·Department for Clinical Diagnostics and Services·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence, Geographic Distribution, Risk Factors and Co-Infections of Feline Gammaherpesvirus Infections in Domestic Cats in Switzerland.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that about 6% of domestic cats in Switzerland tested positive for a virus called feline gammaherpesvirus (FcaGHV1). This virus was detected in both pet cats and stray cats, with certain factors like being male, older than three years, and having other infections like feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) increasing the likelihood of infection. While many cats had other health issues reported, such as leukemia and heart problems, none of the cats with lymphoma tested positive for this virus. More research is needed to understand the potential health risks associated with FcaGHV1 in cats.
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Abstract
Recently, a gammaherpesvirus was described in domestic cats (FcaGHV1). The goal of the present study was to investigate the presence of FcaGHV1 in Swiss domestic cats and analyze potential risk factors. Blood samples from 881 cats presented to veterinarians in all Swiss cantons and from 91 stray cats and neoplastic tissue samples from 17 cats with lymphoma were evaluated. FcaGHV1 was detected by real-time PCR targeting the glycoprotein B gene, followed by sequencing. Blood samples were also tested for feline hemoplasmas, feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). The molecular prevalence of FcaGHV1 was 6.0% (95% confidence interval (CI), 4.5-7.8%) in cats presented to veterinarians and 5.5% (95% CI, 1.8-12.4%) in stray cats. FcaGHV1 PCR-positive cats originated from 19/26 Swiss cantons. Factors significantly associated with FcaGHV1 detection included male sex, age >3 years, nonpedigree status and co-infection with FIV and hemoplasmas. Moreover, FeLV viremia tended to be associated with FcaGHV1 detection. High FcaGHV1 blood loads were found more frequently in FeLV-viremic cats and less frequently in hemoplasma-infected cats than in uninfected cats. Clinical information was unavailable for most of the 881 cats, but leukemia, carcinoma and cardiomyopathy were reported in FcaGHV1-positive cats. None of the tissue samples from the 17 cats with lymphoma tested positive for FcaGHV1. Sequence analyses revealed homogeneity among the Swiss isolates and >99.7% identity to published FcaGHV1 sequences. In conclusion, FcaGHV1 is present in Switzerland with a similar prevalence in cats presented to veterinarians and in stray cats. The pathogenic potential of FcaGHV1 needs further evaluation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31390829/