Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Effectiveness of inactivated FHV-1 vaccine against Chinese cat
By Jiang, Yujie et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2025·College of Veterinary Medicine, China·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Protective efficacy of inactivated FHV-1 vaccine in cats following challenge with the Chinese field strains.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 12 cats were tested to see how well two different vaccines protected them from feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1), which causes upper respiratory issues. One group received a new inactivated vaccine made from local virus strains, while another group got a standard vaccine that also protects against other viruses. After being vaccinated, the cats were exposed to the virus. The cats that received the new vaccine showed better immune responses and had fewer symptoms compared to those that didn't get vaccinated, but neither vaccine completely prevented illness. This study helps inform future vaccine development for cats in China.
People also search for: cat upper respiratory infection vaccine · feline herpesvirus vaccine effectiveness · symptoms of feline viral rhinotracheitis
Abstract
Feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1) is a leading cause of feline viral rhinotracheitis (FVR), which mainly presents upper respiratory tract symptoms. Vaccination is the most effective strategy for controlling FHV-1. Prior to the initiation of this study, China does not have domestically produced commercially available FHV-1 vaccines using field strain as antigenic component and most corresponding imported vaccines contained feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and panleukopenia (FVRCP) antigens. However, the protective efficacy of these vaccines against the prevalent FHV-1 strains in China remains unclear. In the present study, a total of 12 cats were randomly divided into 3 groups, which were vaccinated with FHV-1 field vaccine (Group 1 [an inactivated vaccine developed by ourselves using the Chinese field strain FHV-1 2020GD02]) and FVRCP vaccine (Group 2) and PBS (Group 3) as control, respectively. These animals received two vaccinations with a 21-day interval and were challenged with 2020GD02 at 21 days after the second vaccination. Clinical signs, serological responses, viral shedding, and histopathological changes were used to estimate protective efficacy of the two vaccines. Compared to Group 2, animals in Group 1 produced higher level FHV-1 antibody titers during immune processes. After challenge, Group 3 developed typical FVR. In contrast, animals in both Groups 1 and 2 showed significantly fewer clinical signs, viral shedding, and pathological changes, but could not provide complete protection. Our results provided a reference for further FHV-1 vaccines development in China.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40343361/