Role of Feline Coronavirus as Contributor to Diarrhea in Cats from Breeding Catteries
(1) Background: Feline coronavirus infection (FCoV) is common in multi-cat environments. A role of FCoV in causing diarrhea is often assumed, but has not been proven. The aim of this study was to evaluate an association of FCoV infection with diarrhea in multi-cat environments. (2) Methods: The stud...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Viruses |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/5/858 |
| _version_ | 1797494717437444096 |
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| author | Sandra Felten Ute Klein-Richers Stefan Unterer Michèle Bergmann Christian M. Leutenegger Nikola Pantchev Jörg Balzer Yury Zablotski Regina Hofmann-Lehmann Katrin Hartmann |
| author_facet | Sandra Felten Ute Klein-Richers Stefan Unterer Michèle Bergmann Christian M. Leutenegger Nikola Pantchev Jörg Balzer Yury Zablotski Regina Hofmann-Lehmann Katrin Hartmann |
| author_sort | Sandra Felten |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | (1) Background: Feline coronavirus infection (FCoV) is common in multi-cat environments. A role of FCoV in causing diarrhea is often assumed, but has not been proven. The aim of this study was to evaluate an association of FCoV infection with diarrhea in multi-cat environments. (2) Methods: The study included 234 cats from 37 catteries. Fecal samples were analyzed for FCoV RNA by reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Potential co-infections were determined by applying a qPCR panel on different potential enteropathogens and fecal flotation. A fecal scoring system was used to categorize feces as diarrheic or non-diarrheic. (3) Results: Of the 234 cats included, 23 had diarrhea. The prevalence of FCoV infection was 87.0% in cats with and 58.8% in cats without diarrhea. FCoV infection was significantly associated with diarrhea (Odds Ratio (OR) 5.01; <i>p</i> = 0.008). In addition, presence of <i>Clostridium perfringens</i> α toxin (OR 6.93; <i>p</i> = 0.032) and feline panleukopenia virus (OR 13.74; <i>p</i> = 0.004) were associated with an increased risk of diarrhea. There was no correlation between FCoV load and fecal score. FCoV-positive cats with co-infections were not more likely to have diarrhea than FCoV-positive cats without co-infections (<i>p</i> = 0.455). (4) Conclusions: FCoV infection is common in cats from catteries and can be associated with diarrhea. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:38:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5bd6bea50a084b15b9c3c59017c95373 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4915 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:38:22Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Viruses |
| spelling | doaj.art-5bd6bea50a084b15b9c3c59017c953732023-11-23T13:29:13ZengMDPI AGViruses1999-49152022-04-0114585810.3390/v14050858Role of Feline Coronavirus as Contributor to Diarrhea in Cats from Breeding CatteriesSandra Felten0Ute Klein-Richers1Stefan Unterer2Michèle Bergmann3Christian M. Leutenegger4Nikola Pantchev5Jörg Balzer6Yury Zablotski7Regina Hofmann-Lehmann8Katrin Hartmann9Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Veterinärstraße 13, 80539 Munich, GermanyClinic of Small Animal Medicine, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Veterinärstraße 13, 80539 Munich, GermanyClinic of Small Animal Medicine, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Veterinärstraße 13, 80539 Munich, GermanyClinic of Small Animal Medicine, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Veterinärstraße 13, 80539 Munich, GermanyIDEXX Laboratories, Inc., 2825 KOVR Dr., West Sacramento, CA 95605, USAIDEXX Laboratories, Humboldtstr. 2, 70806 Kornwestheim, GermanyIDEXX Laboratories, Humboldtstr. 2, 70806 Kornwestheim, GermanyClinic of Small Animal Medicine, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Veterinärstraße 13, 80539 Munich, GermanyClinical Laboratory, Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services, Center for Clinical Studies, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 260, 8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandClinic of Small Animal Medicine, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Veterinärstraße 13, 80539 Munich, Germany(1) Background: Feline coronavirus infection (FCoV) is common in multi-cat environments. A role of FCoV in causing diarrhea is often assumed, but has not been proven. The aim of this study was to evaluate an association of FCoV infection with diarrhea in multi-cat environments. (2) Methods: The study included 234 cats from 37 catteries. Fecal samples were analyzed for FCoV RNA by reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Potential co-infections were determined by applying a qPCR panel on different potential enteropathogens and fecal flotation. A fecal scoring system was used to categorize feces as diarrheic or non-diarrheic. (3) Results: Of the 234 cats included, 23 had diarrhea. The prevalence of FCoV infection was 87.0% in cats with and 58.8% in cats without diarrhea. FCoV infection was significantly associated with diarrhea (Odds Ratio (OR) 5.01; <i>p</i> = 0.008). In addition, presence of <i>Clostridium perfringens</i> α toxin (OR 6.93; <i>p</i> = 0.032) and feline panleukopenia virus (OR 13.74; <i>p</i> = 0.004) were associated with an increased risk of diarrhea. There was no correlation between FCoV load and fecal score. FCoV-positive cats with co-infections were not more likely to have diarrhea than FCoV-positive cats without co-infections (<i>p</i> = 0.455). (4) Conclusions: FCoV infection is common in cats from catteries and can be associated with diarrhea.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/5/858endoparasitesenteritisenteropathogenfecesFCoVfeline enteric coronavirus |
| spellingShingle | Sandra Felten Ute Klein-Richers Stefan Unterer Michèle Bergmann Christian M. Leutenegger Nikola Pantchev Jörg Balzer Yury Zablotski Regina Hofmann-Lehmann Katrin Hartmann Role of Feline Coronavirus as Contributor to Diarrhea in Cats from Breeding Catteries Viruses endoparasites enteritis enteropathogen feces FCoV feline enteric coronavirus |
| title | Role of Feline Coronavirus as Contributor to Diarrhea in Cats from Breeding Catteries |
| title_full | Role of Feline Coronavirus as Contributor to Diarrhea in Cats from Breeding Catteries |
| title_fullStr | Role of Feline Coronavirus as Contributor to Diarrhea in Cats from Breeding Catteries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Role of Feline Coronavirus as Contributor to Diarrhea in Cats from Breeding Catteries |
| title_short | Role of Feline Coronavirus as Contributor to Diarrhea in Cats from Breeding Catteries |
| title_sort | role of feline coronavirus as contributor to diarrhea in cats from breeding catteries |
| topic | endoparasites enteritis enteropathogen feces FCoV feline enteric coronavirus |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/5/858 |
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