Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Feline interferon omega helps sick shelter cats with retrovirus
By Gil, Solange et al.·Published in Research in veterinary science·2013·Technical University of Lisbon (TULisbon)·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Relevance of feline interferon omega for clinical improvement and reduction of concurrent viral excretion in retrovirus infected cats from a rescue shelter.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Sixteen cats from a rescue shelter, infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), were treated with a medication called recombinant feline interferon omega (rFeIFNω). After treatment, 10 of the cats showed improvement in their health, and many had lower levels of other viruses they were carrying, such as herpesvirus and calicivirus. By the end of the treatment, several cats that were initially positive for these viruses tested negative, indicating that the medication was effective. Overall, rFeIFNω helped these cats feel better and reduced the amount of virus they were shedding.
People also search for: cat FIV treatment · feline leukemia virus medication · interferon for cats · cat herpesvirus treatment · shelter cat viral infections
Abstract
Feline Immnunodeficiency (FIV) and Feline Leukemia (FeLV) viruses are common infectious agents in stray cats and shelter environments. Recombinant feline interferon-ω (rFeIFNω) has shown an antiviral action not only against FIV and FeLV but also against herpesvirus (FHV-1) and calicivirus (FCV). Sixteen naturally infected FIV/FeLV cats were followed during rFeIFNω therapy in order to monitor clinical signs and to correlate with excretion of concomitant viruses (FCV, FHV-1, feline coronavirus (FCoV) and parvovirus (FPV)). Cats were submitted to clinical evaluations and concomitant virus excretion assessement. Comparing D0-D65, 10/16 cats improved clinical scores. Of the 10 cats positive for FHV-1 on D0, 4 were negative and 6 reduced viral loads. Of the 11 FCoV positive cats, 9 reduced viral loads. The 13 FCV positive cats and the FPV positive cat were negative on D65. In conclusion, rFeIFNω improves clinical signs and reduces concurrent viral excretion in naturally infected retroviral cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23122808/