Feline Infectious Diseases
1) Feline Infectious Enteritis (Feline Panleucopaenia)
Virus, very resistant to disinfectants Incubates 5-10 days
Shed in faeces
Targets intestines, rapidly dividing cells
Causes vomiting, bloody diarrhoea, and sudden death or cerebellar hypoplasia in kittens after infection of a pregnant queen.
VACCINES - Live or killed
2) Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV)
Virus, not very resistant to disinfectants. Incubates months or years
Shed in saliva, urine, milk, crosses placenta, also venereal spread - hence owners of stud cats require that potential female mates are tested beforehand.
Targets the immune system, causes severe immunosuppression, but animals may be carriers for years before becoming ill. Resistance develops with age, disease is usually contracted before 6 years of age.
Many different diseases may result from immune suppression, and testing is usually done in animals with recurrent or persistent signs such as fevers, weight loss, anaemia, tumours.
VACCINES - All killed, either genetically engineered proteins from the virus or whole virus.
TEST using blood samples and E.L.I.S.A. kits (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) Blood tests are sent away for Virus isolation testing
3) Feline Immune Deficiency Virus (FIV)
Virus, not very resistant to disinfectants Incubates months or years
Saliva and blood transmission, but must be inoculated via a bite.
Often requires repeated contact, so commoner in multi-cat households, and in older cats than is the case with FeLV.
Causes milder disease than FeLV initially, particularly mouth ulcers and gingivitis, then more serious disease, often liver problems. Combination infection with FeLV and FIV is not unusual in ill cats. Less likely to cause cancer than FeLV.
Testing uses kits in the practice, which look for ANTIBODIES to the virus (unlike FeLV kits whick find the virus.
VACCINES - none.
4) Cat Flu (Feline Upper Respiratory Tract Disease, FURTD)
Caused by two unrelated viruses, Feline Herpes Virus (FHV-1), and Feline Calicivirus (FCV).
a) Feline Herpes Virus
Virus, very susceptible to disinfectants and cleaning.
Incubates 2-7 days
Causes conjunctivitis, sneezing, oculonasal discharge.
(Looks like human colds and flu). Airborne droplet spread.
80% of recovered cases are carriers and are INTERMITTENT SHEDDERS.
b) Feline calicivirus
Virus, fairly resistant to cleaning (so can be carried on hands, etc.). Also spread via air.
Incubation 2-10 days
Can be severe, targeting mouth and nasal epithelium and causing ulceration and pain, salivation, inability to eat.
50% of recovered cases shed virus CONTINUALLY over several years, but will eventually eliminate the virus (unlike Herpesvirus flu).
VACCINES available for both viruses, live and dead. The calicivirus strains change occasionally, and vaccines must be updated to maintain protection
5) Chlamydia infection
Not a virus, but a parasite which lives inside cells.
Incubates 4-10 days
Spread via secretions, and via airborne spread of dried cellular material. Causes sticky eyes and conjunctivitis in older kittens, and also is a cause of infertility in older cats.
Responds to antibiotics - preferably doxycycline, or oxytetracycline. treatment with eye ointments may soothe the conjunctivitis but must be backed up with antibiotics (by mouth).
VACCINE available - killed.
6) Feline Infectious Peritonitis.(FIP)
Fragile virus, can survive a few days in the environment.
Incubates 2-14 days
This is an unusual virus, related to a mostly harmless virus which lives in the intestines and can cause diarrhoea. Some specialists believe that the mild virus transforms into the serious version in affected animals. The presence of the mild version renders diagnosis very difficult in some cases, as a lot of cats show antibodies. A blood sample result showing antibodies to FIP IS NOT diagnostic of the disease unless the animal has clear clinical signs
2 forms:
a) Dry. Small areas of inflammation develop throughout the organs.
b) Wet. Sticky liquid effusions develop in the chest and abdomen.
The effects of the virus can be treated with steroids, but once signs develop it is always fatal eventually.
VACCINES - none currently available.
7) Haemobartonella (Feline Infectious Anaemia)
Parasite of red blood cells, spread via blood exchange in fights, bites, and via fleas and ticks.
7-14 days incubation
Causes anaemia as the body destroys infected red cells.. Worst affected cats also have FIV / FeLV.
Treated with Teracycline antibiotics and steroids, long term carriers exist.
8) Toxoplasmosis <ZOONOSIS>
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite which can occupy several hosts. Cats are the definitive host, in which reproduction of the parasite occurs in the intestine.
Cat infected - sheds OOCYSTS ----> re-infect other cats and cause more oocyst release
----> oocysts eaten by other hosts including man, rodents, sheep, and change into bradyzoites and tachyzoites, forms which encyst in tissues.
Tissue forms ------> eaten by predators
and form further bradyzoites and tachyzoites
-------> eaten by cats and reproduce to form oocysts.
The problem with this infection is that it can cause abortion in sheep and women, by exposure to oocysts (or infected meat). Appropriate advice should be given to pregnant clients not to handle cat litter / droppings and to avoid gardening without gloves. Antibiotics can be used but are not usually effective in active infections. Nervous system signs can be caused in all species by Toxoplasma. Antibodies are widespread (indicating widespread exposure ).
8) Salmonellosis *ZOONOSIS*
Bacterial infection usually seen in kittens under 6 months.
Caused by Salmonella typhimurium, susceptible to common disinfectants.
Incubates 3-5 days
Caught from contaminated food (rats, mice), or from carriers. Signs vomiting and enteritis. Usually self limiting, but carriers can develop particularly in cats with other disease such as feLV. Antibiotics CAN CAUSE CARRIERS TO DEVELOP, and are only used in life-threatening cases. Recovered animals may shed for 6 weeks.
9 ) Poxvirus *ZOONOSIS*
Viral disease contracted from small rodents.
Incubates 5-7 days
Causes skin lesions, usually on the feet or face initially. These can spread and cause swollen legs accompanied by pain and fever. Usually self limiting and resolves over several weeks . Can look like allergic disease, but if treated with steroids, then spreads over the whole body and can lead to a fatal pneumonia.
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