Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Antiviral treatment helps kittens survive severe feline calicivirus
By Smith, Alvin W et al.·Published in American journal of veterinary research·2008·College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Virus-specific antiviral treatment for controlling severe and fatal outbreaks of feline calicivirus infection.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 112 kittens with severe calicivirus infection were treated with a special antiviral medication called PMO to see if it could help them survive the illness. The kittens received the treatment right after showing symptoms, and the results were promising: 47 out of 59 kittens treated with PMO survived, while only 3 out of 31 kittens that did not receive the treatment made it. The antiviral also helped the kittens recover faster and reduced the amount of virus they shed. This suggests that PMO could be a valuable option for treating severe viral infections in kittens.
People also search for: kitten calicivirus treatment · calicivirus symptoms in cats · antiviral treatment for kittens
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To test the life-sparing and therapeutic effect of a parenterally administered virus-specific antiviral phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PMO) for treating kittens during outbreaks of severe viral disease. ANIMALS: 112 kittens of various sex and age in 4 trials involving 3 outbreaks of naturally developing caliciviral disease. PROCEDURES: Each trial provided an opportunity to investigate the disease. A calicivirus isolated from the liver of a cat that died with hemorrhage and hepatitis was sequenced, and a PMO that had sequence specificity complementary to a 5' region was synthesized. In vitro efficacy of the PMO was tested against the isolate, followed by 3 trials in outbreaks of severe caliciviral disease. The PMO was administered starting on day 1 of disease onset (0.7 to 5.0 mg/kg, SC, q 24 h) and continuing for up to 7 days. Survival time, clinical recovery, and caliciviral shedding were compared by use of various antiviral dosages. In a fourth trial involving nonfatal disease, a control treatment was administered for comparison. RESULTS: In vitro blockage of caliciviral replication by the PMO was dose dependent. In trials 1 to 3 in which survival was the endpoint, 47 of 59 cats receiving PMO survived but only 3 of 31 survived without PMO treatment. Antiviral treatment reduced viral shedding and hastened clinical recovery, as measured by weight gains and clinical condition. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These data provided evidence that virus-specific PMOs were effective in treating kittens with severe Vesivirus disease and suggested a broader application for other viruses and species, including humans.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18167083/