Determination of Feline calicivirus in cats in Ahvaz district, Southwest of Iran by RT-PCR (a preliminary study)

Document Type : Research Articles

Authors

Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz

Abstract

Feline calicivirus (FCV) is a highly infectious respiratory pathogen of domestic cats with a widespread distribution. In order to assess how FCV circulates in feral and household cats, we have carried out the first study on the FCV detection in Ahvaz district from December 2008 to November 2009. Oropharyngeal, nasal and ocular swabs of one hundred cats (70 feral and 30 household) were evaluated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) procedure for the detection of FCV. The influence of sex, age, social status and clinical signs on the probability of infection was analyzed using statistical Fisher’s exact test. Overall, feline calicivirus was detected in 4/100 (4%) of sampled cats; 13.3% of the household cats were FCV positive compared to 0% of feral cats. According to several factors including younger cats (under 6 months of age), multiple cat household and clinical findings, differences were significant (p0.05). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report indicating the presence of FCV in cats in Iran. Due to low prevalence of FCV infection and the fact that feral cats live solitarily, it was concluded that this viral infection don’t spread readily within feral populations. However special measures are recommended to avoid infection of susceptible and unvaccinated cats.

Keywords

Main Subjects


Bannasch, M.J. and Foley, J.E. (2005) Epidemiologic evaluation of multiple respiratory pathogens in cats in animal shelters. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 7, 109-119.
Binns, S.H., Dawson, S., Speakman, A.J., Cuevas, L.E., Hart, C.A., Gaskell, C.J., Morgan, K.L. and Gaskell, R.M. (2000) A study of feline upper respiratory tract disease with reference to prevalence and risk factors for infection with feline calicivirus and feline herpesvirus. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 2,123-133.
Cai, Y., Fukushi, H., Koyasu, S., Kuroda, E., Yamaguchi, T. and Hirai, K. (2002) An etiological investigation of domestic cats with conjunctivitis and upper respiratory tract disease in Japan. Journal of Veterinary Medical Science 64, 215–219.
Cave, T.A., Thompson, H., Reid, S.W., Hodgson, D.R. and Addie, D.D. (2002) Kitten mortality in the United Kingdom: a retrospective analysis of 274 histopathological examinations (1986 to 2000). Veterinary Record 17, 497-501.
Chomel, B.B., Abbott, R.C., Kasten, R.W., Floyd-Hawkins, K.A., Kass, P.H., Glaser, C.A., Pedersen, N.C. and Koehler, J.E. (1995) Bartonella henselae prevalence in domestic cats in California: risk factors and association between bacteremia and antibody titers. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 9, 2445-2450.
Coutts, A.J., Dawson, S., Willoughby, K. and Gaskell, R.M. (1994) Isolation of feline respiratory viruses from clinically healthy cats at UK shows. Veterinary Record 135, 555-556.
Coyne, K.P., Dawson, S., Radford, A.D., Cripps, P.J., Porter, C.J., McCracken, C.M. and Gaskell, R.M. (2006) Long term analysis of feline calicivirus prevalence and viral shedding patterns in naturally infected colonies of domestic cats. Veterinary Microbiology 118, 12-25.
Dawson, S., Willoughby, K., Gaskell, R.M., Wood, G. and Chalmers, W.S. (2001) A field trial to assess the effect of vaccination against feline herpesvirus, feline calicivirus and feline panleucopenia virus in 6-week-old kittens. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 3, 17-22.
Greene, C.E. (2006) Infectious Diseases of the dog and cat, 2nd edn., W.B. Saunders Company, London. pp 97-105.
Harbour, D.A., Howard, P.E. and Gaskell, R.M. (1991) Isolation of feline calicivirus and feline herpesvirus from domestic cats 1980 to 1989. Veterinary Record 128, 77-80.
Holst, B.S., Berndtsson, L.T. and Englund, L. (2005) Isolation of feline herpesvirus-1 and feline calicivirus from healthy cats in Swedish breeding catteries. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 7, 325–331.
Kang, B.T. and Park, H.M. (2008) Prevalence of feline herpesvirus 1, feline calicivirus and Chlamydophila felis in clinically normal cats at a Korean animal shelter. Journal of Veterinary Science 2, 207-209.
Knowles, J.O., Gaskell, R.M., Gaskell, C.J., Harvey, C.E. and Lutz, H. (1989) Prevalence of feline calicivirus, feline leukemia virus and antibodies to FIV in cats with chronic stomatitis. Veterinary Record 124, 336-338.
Lappin, M.R., Sebring, R.W., Porter, M.,Radecki, S.J. and Veir, J. (2006) Effects of a single dose of an intranasal feline herpesvirus 1, calicivirus, and panleukopenia vaccine on clinical signs and virus shedding after challenge with virulent feline herpesvirus 1. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 8,158-163.
Marsilio, F., Martino, B.D., Decaro, N. and Buonavoglia, C. (2005) A novel nested PCR for the diagnosis of calicivirus infections in the cat. Veterinary Microbiology 105, 1-7.
Mochizuki, M., Kawakami, K., Hashimoto, M. and Ishida, T. (2000) Recent epidemiological status of feline upper respiratory infections in Japan. Journal of Veterinary Medical Science 62, 801-803.
Pedersen, N.C., Laliberte, L. and Ekman, S. (1983) A transient febrile limping syndrome of kittens caused by two different strains of feline calicivirus. Feline Practice 13, 26-35.
Povey, C. and Ingersoll, J. (1975) Cross-protection among feline caliciviruses. Infectious and Immunity 11, 877-885.
Radford, A.D., Sommerville, L.M., Dawson, S., Kerins, A.M., Ryvar, R. and Gaskell, R.M. (2001) Molecular analysis of isolates of feline calicivirus from a population of cats in a rescue shelter. Veterinary Record 149, 477-481.
Radford, A.D., Coyne, K.P., Dawson, S., Porter, C.J. and Gaskell, R.M. (2007) Feline calicivirus. Veterinary Research 38, 319-335.
Seyfi Abad Shapouri, M.R., Mayahi, M., Assasi, K. and Charkhkar, S. (2004) A survey of the prevalence of infectious bronchitis virus type 4/91 in Iran. Acta Veterinary Hungarica; 52, 163-166.
Sykes, J.E., Studdert, V.P. and Browning, G.F. (1998) Detection and strain differentiation of feline calicivirus in conjunctival swabs by RT-PCR of the hypervariable region of the capsid protein gene. Archives of Virology 143, 1321-1334.
Sykes, J.E., Allen, J.L., Studdert, V.P. and Browning, G.F. (2001) Detection of feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus 1 and Chlamydia psittaci mucosal swabs by multiplex RT-PCR/PCR. Veterinary Microbiology 81, 95–108.
Wardley, R.C., Gaskell, R.M. and Povey, R.C. (1974) Feline respiratory viruses - their prevalence in clinically healthy cats. Journal of Small Animal Practice 15, 579-586.
Yagami, K., Furukawa, T. and Fukui, M. (1985) Serologic and virologic surveys on feline herpesvirus and feline calicivirus infections in cats for experimental use. Jikken Dobutsu Experimental Animals 34, 241-248.
Zicola, A., Saegerman, C., Quatpers, D., Viandier, J. and Thiry, E. (2009) Feline herpesvirus 1 and feline calicivirus infections in a heterogeneous cat population of a rescue shelter. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 11, 1023-1027.
CAPTCHA Image