Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19): Are they similar?

SARS-CoV-2 has radically changed our lives causing hundreds of thousands of victims worldwide and influencing our lifestyle and habits. Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a disease of felids caused by the feline coronaviruses (FCoV). FIP has been considered irremediably deadly until the last few years. Being one of the numerous coronaviruses that are well known in veterinary medicine, information on FCoV could be of interest and might give suggestions on pathogenic aspects of SARS-CoV-2 that are still unclear. The authors of this paper describe the most important aspects of FIP and COVID-19 and the similarities and differences between these important diseases. SARS-CoV-2 and FCoV are taxonomically distant viruses, and recombination events with other coronaviruses have been reported for FCoV and have been suggested for SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 and FCoV differ in terms of some pathogenic, clinical and pathological features. However, some of the pathogenic and immunopathogenic events that are well known in cats FIP seem to be present also in people with COVID-19. Moreover, preventive measures currently recommended to prevent SARS-CoV-2 spreading have been shown to allow eradication of FIP in feline households. Finally, one of the most promising therapeutic compounds against FIP, GS-441524, is the active form of Remdesivir, which is being used as one therapeutic option for COVID-19.