Feline rinotracheitis (FVR) is an upper respiratory or lung infections in cats caused by herpes virus from herpesviridae family. It is also commonly referred to as feline influenza , feline coryza , and feline pneumonia but, as these terms describe other highly respiratory symptoms different. , they are misnomers for this condition. Respiratory diseases of the virus in cats can be serious, especially in the catital and cage. Causing half of respiratory diseases in cats, FVR is the most important disease and is found worldwide. Another important cause of cat's respiratory disease is feline calicivirus .
FVR is highly contagious and can cause severe illness, including deaths from pneumonia in young kittens. This can lead to flat-chested cat syndrome, but most of the evidence for this is anecdotal. All family members Felidae are vulnerable to FVR; in fact, FHV-1 has caused fatal encephalitis in lions in Germany.
Video Feline viral rhinotracheitis
Histori
FHV-1 was first isolated from cats in 1958 in the United States.
Maps Feline viral rhinotracheitis
Transmission
FVR is transmitted by direct contact only. It replicates in the nasal and nasopharyngeal tissues and tonsils. Viremia (the presence of virus in the blood) is rare. The virus is released in the saliva and eyes and nasal secretions, and can also be spread by fomites. FVR has an incubation period of two to five days. The virus is shed for one to three weeks post-infection. Newly infected cats (carriers) will lose FHV-1 intermittently for life, with the virus surviving in the trigeminal ganglion. Stress and corticosteroid use trigger shedding. Most disinfectants, antiseptics, and detergents are effective against viruses.
Clinical signs
Early signs of FVR include coughing, sneezing, nasal secretions, conjunctivitis, and sometimes fever (up to 106) and loss of appetite. It usually heals within four to seven days, but secondary bacterial infection can cause persistence of clinical signs for weeks. Frontal sinusitis and empyema may also occur.
FHV-1 also has predilections for the corneal epithelium, producing a corneal ulcer, often pointed or dendritic in shape. Other ocular signs of FHV-1 infection include conjunctivitis, keratitis, keratoconjunctivitis sicca (decreased tear production), and corneal sequestra. Nasolakrimal tract infections can cause chronic epiphes (excessive tearing). Ulcerative skin disease can also occur due to FHV-1 infection. FHV-1 may also cause abortion in the pregnant queen, usually at the sixth week of pregnancy, although this may be due to systemic effects of infection rather than the virus directly.
In chronic nasal and sinus diseases in cats, FHV-1 can play more of an initiation role than an ongoing cause. Infection at an early age can permanently damage the nasal and sinus tissues, causing disruption of ciliary and bacterial silica, and predisposing this cat to chronic bacterial infection.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of FVR is usually with clinical signs, especially corneal ulcers. The exact diagnosis can be done with direct immunofluorescence or viral isolation. However, many healthy cats are subclinical carriers of cat herpes virus, so a positive test for FHV-1 does not necessarily indicate that the signs of upper respiratory tract infection are caused by FVR. At the beginning of the course of the disease, histologic analysis of cells from the tonsils, nasal tissue, or nictitating membranes (the third eyelid) may show the inclusion body (a collection of viral particles) within the nucleus of the infected cell.
Treatment and prevention
Antibiotics are usually used to prevent secondary bacterial infections. There is no specific antiviral drug commonly used today for FVR, although one study showed that ganciclovir, PMEDAP, and cidofovir promised treatment. More recent research has shown that systemic fouliclovir is effective in treating these infections in cats with no adverse events reported with other anti-viral agents. More severe cases may require supportive care such as intravenous fluid therapy, oxygen therapy, or even filler tubes. Conjunctivitis and corneal ulcers are treated with topical antibiotics for secondary bacterial infections. Lysine is commonly used as a treatment, but in a systematic review of 2015, in which the authors investigated all clinical trials with cats as well as in vitro studies , concluded that lysine supplementation may not be effective for the treatment or prevention of cat 1 herpesvirus infections.
Vaccines
There is a vaccine for FHV-1 available (ATCvet code: QI06AA08 ( WHO ), plus various combinations of vaccines), but despite limiting or attenuating disease severity and can reduce the release of the virus, it does not prevent infection with FVR. Research has shown the duration of immunity of this vaccine for at least three years. The use of serology to demonstrate circulating antibodies to FHV-1 has been shown to have positive predictive value to demonstrate protection from this disease.
Prevent the spread of the virus
Most household disinfectants will disable FHV-1. The virus can last up to 18 hours in a wet environment, but is lacking in a dry environment and is only momentary as aerosols.
See also
- Cat vaccination
References
External links
- Upper Respiratory Disease from The Pet Health Library
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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