Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
H5N1 influenza virus in cats - what you should know
By Marschall, Julia et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2008·Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of influenza A H5N1 virus in cats from areas with occurrence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in birds.
- Species:
- bird
Plain-English summary
A study looked at the presence of the H5N1 strain of the influenza virus in 171 cats from areas in Germany and Austria where birds had been infected. Researchers took samples from the cats' throats and blood to check for the virus and antibodies. They found that none of the cats tested positive for the H5N1 virus, and only a very small number showed any signs of having been exposed to it. This suggests that the risk of cats getting infected with H5N1 in these areas is very low. Overall, the treatment and testing showed no evidence of infection in the cats.
Abstract
Natural and experimental infections have shown that cats are susceptible to highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus subtype H5N1 (HPAIV H5N1). Cats can be severely affected and die from the disease, but subclinical infections have also been reported. To learn more about the role of cats in the spread of the virus and about the risk posed to cats, the prevalence of H5N1 virus was examined in 171 cats from areas in Germany and Austria in which birds infected with HPAIV H5N1 had been found. Pharyngeal swabs were examined for H5N1 virus using real-time polymerase chain reaction, and serum samples were tested for antibodies to influenza virus. None of the cats showed evidence of infection with H5N1 virus. Prevalence of H5N1 virus was determined to be <1.8% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.000000-0.017366); prevalence of antibodies was <2.6% (95% CI: 0.000000-0.025068).
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18640861/