Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Common infectious germs causing cat respiratory infections in China
By Ju, Houbin et al.·Published in Archives of virology·2024·Shanghai Animal Disease Control Center, China·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Spectrum detection and analysis of the epidemiological characteristics of infectious pathogens in the feline respiratory tract.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 400 cats with upper respiratory infections were tested for various infectious pathogens, including feline calicivirus and feline herpes virus. The results showed that nearly all the cats (99%) had at least one infection, with the most common being feline calicivirus in younger cats and feline herpes virus more frequently found in male cats. The study highlights the complexity of respiratory infections in cats, with many having mixed infections. Ongoing research is needed to improve prevention and treatment strategies for these common feline illnesses.
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Abstract
Our study was designed to investigate the original spectrum of feline respiratory tract infection and to provide a scientific basis for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of feline respiratory infections and for precise prevention and control measures. A total of 400 cats with upper respiratory tract infections from animal hospitals in 12 provinces in China were examined from November 2022 to October 2023 to investigate the epidemiology of feline calicivirus (FCV), feline herpes virus type 1 (FHV-1), influenza A virus (IAV), Mycoplasma felis, Chlamydia felis, and Bordetella bronchiseptica through loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) with microfluidic chip detection. The results showed that 396 of the 400 samples tested were positive for at least one of these pathogens, with an overall detection rate of 99.00%. The detection rates were as follows: FCV, 36.00% (144/400); M. felis, 34.00% (136/400); FHV-1, 21.50% (86/400); C. felis, 15.75% (63/400); B. b, 13.00% (52/400); IAV, 4.50% (18/400). There were no statistically significant differences in the detection rates of respiratory pathogens between different sexes, ages, seasons, breeds, or regions (P > 0.05). There were 88 mixed infections, giving a total mixed infection rate of 22.00% (88/400). It is worth noting that the detection rate of FCV at different ages and of FHV-1 in different sexes showed significant differences (P < 0.05). The highest rate of FCV infection was found in animals that were 1 to 2 years old, and the rate of FHV-1 infection in male cats was higher than that in female cats. The results showed that the spectrum of feline respiratory pathogens is complex, with diverse epidemiological characteristics and mixed infections, and some differences among different respiratory pathogens were found with regard to the sex, age, and breed of the cat. Studies should be continued to provide a scientific basis for precise prevention and control of feline respiratory diseases.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39147982/