Cat Respiratory Tract Infections Flashcards
(26 cards)
Where is “Cat Flu” more of an issue.
What is the main cause of respiratory disease in cats?
Rescue Shelters, Boarding catteries and kittens
Main cause: Feline Calicivirus
Define aetiology
cause, set of causes, or manner of causation of a disease of condition
Aetiology of feline respiratory disease
- Feline herpesvirus
- Feline calicivirus
- Bordetella bronchiseptica
(less so) - Chlamydophila
- Mycoplasmas (feline infectious anaemia)
- Bacteria
- Haemophilus felis
What is virus classification based on?
- Genome (RNA or DNA)
- Number and sense of RNA/ DNA strands
- Morphology
- Genome sequence similarity
- Ecology
Facts about feline herpesvirus
o Double stranded DNA virus, relatively conserved and complex biology
o Single serotype – not so much variability
o Lipid envelope (relatively fragile in environment
o Relatively severe respiratory disease
o Similar to humans in fact that inc stress inc shedding
Clinical signs of feline herpesvirus
SICKER AND EYES 1. Sneezing 2. Nasal discharge- can start quite liquidy and become more mucousy 3. Conjunctivitis 4. Ocular discharge/ disease (image, cat on RHS severe keratitis) • Corneal ulceration • Conjunctivitis • Keratitis • Use topical analogues to treat OD -Trifluridine -Acyclovir 5. Hypersalivation 6. Pyrexia 7. Lethargy 8. Dyspnoea
Facts about Feline Calicivirus
o Single stranded RNA virus
o No envelope
o Very variable – large number different strains
Clinical signs of feline calicivirus
ULCERS
- Pyrexia
- Oral ulceration (major sign)
- Nasal discharge
- Conjunctivitis
- Sneezing
- Pneumonia – rare
- Lameness
- Chronic stomatitis, not rare
- Virulent systemic disease, rare
Talk about lameness in feline calicivirus
- In young cats
- Shifting lameness (changing leg)
- Resolves spontaneously
- Often pyrexic
- In joints can find small amounts FCV antigen
Talk about Chronic stomatitis and virulent systemic disease in cats. And which disease is this associated with?
Associated with Feline Calicivirus 1. Chronic stomatitis, fairly common - ulceration - it is associated and NOT CAUSED by FCV - Lots of cats need teeth out, immunosuppressants, long standing antibacterial therapy. - lot end up being put down:( 2. Virulent systemic disease - rare • Unusual in fact get sporadic outbreaks v severe signs. Not just resp signs but o Oedema, necrosis, ulceration, resp disease, pyrexia, haemorrhage from nose and in faeces, jaundice • Haemorrhagic syndrome • Rapid death
Talk about Bordetella bronchiseptica
o Less important to cats, more so in dogs
o Gram negative coccobacillus
o BACTERIA not virus
o Can infect – dogs, pigs, horses, rabbits, small mammals and humans (potential zoonoses, unlike FCV and FeHV)
o Associated with resp disease
Incubation period – 6 days
Attaches to ciliated epithelium
Replicates and produces virulence factors
Ciliostasis – releases toxins causing this
Clinical sings Bordetella bronchiseptica
Pyrexia Sneezing Nasal discharge Cough Submandibular lymphadenopathy – not feature FCV or FHV (enlarged lymph nodes) Bronchopneumonia (severe) • More LOWER respiratory
PAthogenesis of Feline calicivirus
direct contact with the saliva, nasal mucus and eye discharge of infected cats and through aerosol droplets that spread when cats sneeze
Attaches to upper respiratory tract cilia
• Cause cilia stasis
Stops mucociliary clearance
Bacteria then colonise in the respiratory tract, causing disease
Talk about Chlamydophila
- Associated with respiratory disease
o Gram negative
o Obligate intracellular parasite
o Transmitted by close contact
o Unilateral becoming bilateral conjunctivitis
o Chemosis (swelling eyelid)
o Diagnosed by PCR
o Treat with systemic doxycline
o Control by vaccination in high risk situations
o Only really seen when lots of cats housed together
define pathogenesis
The manner of development of disease
Feline herpes virus pathogenesis (the manner of development of disease)
o Oronasal infection
o 2-6 day incubation period
o Virus multiplies in the oral/respiratory tissue
o Low mortality
o Clinical signs resolve within 20 days, uneventful recovery
o Can lead to longer lasting chronic disruption of innate immune response of nose – leading to rhinitis if turbinate epithelium damaged chronic snotty sneezing which can ruin wallpaper!
Often need regular bouts of prolonged antibacterial therapy – shouldn’t undertake lightly!
General epidemiological factors in resp disease
- Generally, direct cat to cat
- Herpesvirus lasts less than a day outside of the cat
- Calicivirus last less than a week outside of the cat
- Indirect contact through contamination of personnel, fomites and environment
- Aerosol transmission not of major importance – sneezing is the way
Epidemiology of carriers of feline herpes and calcicvirus
• Herpesvirus is latent and then reactivated
• Calicivirus is a persistent infection
• Both widespread in cat population
• FCV carriers spread virus for 30 days after clinical signs
o Most clear the virus eventually (75 day half life)
How to diagnose FCV and FeHV
• Clinical signs • Oral pharyngeal swab – virus transport media (inhibits bordetella = why not used) • Virus isolation o Swab into VTM o Can take up to 2 weeks • PCR - main • Serology to look for Ab but v little use • Histopathology
How to diagnose Bordetella bronchiseptica
- Oropharyngeal or nasal swab – has to go in different transport media, charcoal amies transport medium (full of antibiotics to inhibit other bacteria in cat mouth.)
- Histopathology
Main control of Resp disease
• Vaccination
-Reduce clinical disease
• Population management
Contrasts in FCV and FHV clinical disease
FCV 1. Oral ulceration 2. Oculonasal discharge 3. Conjunctivitis 4. lameness ULCERS 2. Pyrexia 5. Conjunctivitis 6. Sneezing 7. Pneumonia – rare 9. Chronic stomatitis, not rare 10. Virulent systemic disease, rare
FHV 1. Sneezing 2. Nasal discharge- can start quite liquidy and become more mucousy 3. Conjunctivitis 4. Ocular discharge/ disease (image, cat on RHS severe keratitis) • Corneal ulceration • Conjunctivitis • Keratitis • Use topical analogues to treat OD -Trifluridine -Acyclovir 5. Hypersalivation 6. Pyrexia 7. Lethargy 8. Dyspnoea
Contrasts in FCV and FHV carriers
FHV -
1. Herpesvirus is latent and then reactivated
2. Lifelong
3. Intermittent shedding - low level shedding in population
4. Cat infected, acute infection, clinical disease, sheds, 2-3 weeks later latently infected (in brain) = clinically normal stop shedding.
5. In brain switches off almost all protein expression. Being in CNS it is in a immune privileged site where immune response can’t get to it
6. Stress - reactivated, starts shedding again
7. clinical sings at time of activation –> recrudescence
FCV
1. Calicivirus is a persistent infection
2. Not life long
3. Usually infected, acute infection, shed for 30 days. After become carrier
4. High prevalence in cats - high level shedding
5. Believe cats clear infection, measureable immune response then long enough, this disappears and and then can become reinfected
6. HALF LIFE
d. Means at 30 days 100 ctas shedding, 75 days later 50 shedding, 75 days later 25 shedding. Means only a minority of cats shed for long time. Perhaps only 1-2% shed for life.
Important to remember when cat arrives with suspected respiratory tract disease
virus transport media inhibits bordetella if see cat with resp signs, typically 2 swabs – one virus TM and one charcoal amies
