Feline Upper Respiratory Disease

Question 1

Most common causal agents (2)
Other causal agents (2)
and incubation periods

Answer 1

Feline herpes virus-1
Feline calici virus
2-12 days

Bordetella bronchiseptica
Chlamydophila felis bacterium
4-10 days

Question 2

Breed predisposition

Answer 2

Siamese

Question 3

Transmission of viral agents

Answer 3

Spread via aerosolised secretions from sneezing
Direct/indirect contact

Most FHV-1 cats become carriers
- intermittent shedding triggered by stress
Some FCV cats become carriers
- she’d continually up to 1yr

Question 4

How long does each virus persist in environment

Answer 4

FHV-1 ~18hrs

FCV ~1wk

Question 5

Transmission of chlamydia

Answer 5

Low zoonotic risk

Excreted through ocular discharge and GI/urogenital routes
Direct/indirect contact
Some cats persistent asymptomatic carriers

Question 7

FHV-1 pathophysiology

Answer 7

Replicates in epithelial tissue of resp. And ocular systems
Leads to necrosis
Secondary bacterial infection may occur due to damage
Irritation of trachea/pharynx/larynx

Question 8

Chlamydia pathophysiology

Answer 8

Replicates in resp. Mucosa
Frequent cause of conjunctivitis
May occur concurrently with viral FURD

Question 9

FCV pathophysiology

Answer 9

Affects resp. Epithelium
Milder degree of URT symptoms
Oral cavity lesions leading to ulceration
Severe strains may cause pneumonia

Question 11

Non-specific clinical signs of viral infection (2)

Answer 11

Sneezing

Pyrexia

Question 12

Chlamydia clinical signs (2)

Answer 12

Acute/chronic recurrent conjunctivitis

Mild rhinitis

Question 13

FHV-1 specific clinical signs (4)

Answer 13

Conjunctivitis
Keratitis
Corneal ulceration
Anorexia

Question 14

FCV specific clinical signs (2)

Answer 14

Oral ulceration

Chronic stomatitis

Question 16

Diagnosis (4)

Answer 16

Hx/cs/exam
Bloods 
- rule out FIV/FeLV
Oropharyngeal swab to isolate viral cause 
Conjunctival swab to detect chlamydia