Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Virulent feline calicivirus disease in an Italian shelter cat
By Battilani, Mara et al.·Published in Research in veterinary science·2013·Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Virulent feline calicivirus disease in a shelter in Italy: a case description.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A cat named Oscar, who was living in a shelter in Italy and had feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), developed a severe illness caused by feline calicivirus (FCV). This condition, known as virulent systemic disease (VSD), led to serious health issues, and unfortunately, Oscar did not survive. Interestingly, other cats in the shelter that were in close contact with him did not show any symptoms of illness. This case highlights how certain factors, like FIV, can make some cats more vulnerable to severe infections.
People also search for: cat calicivirus symptoms · FIV and calicivirus in cats · treatment for sick cat in shelter
Abstract
Feline calicivirus (FCV) is a common pathogen of cats that is particularly widespread in multi-cat environments such as shelters and catteries. FCV infections are usually associated with acute, mild and self-limiting upper respiratory tract disease characterized by oral vesicles/ulcers. Recently, virulent systemic disease (VSD) associated with FCV infection has been reported in the USA and Europe. This paper describes a case of VSD affecting one adult, FIV infected cat ("Oscar") living in a shelter located in Northern Italy; the clinical, post-mortem and laboratory findings indicate that this is the first case of suspected FCV-VSD in this country. Similar to a previous report (Meyer et al., 2011), the disease affected only one cat, while others remained asymptomatic, despite their direct contact with "Oscar". Phylogenetic analysis identified unique features in the "Oscar" FCV isolate. The FIV infection of the patient might have favoured the generation of the virulent FCV strains in this cat.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23433681/