J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2020 Nov 1;257(9):929-932. doi: 10.2460/javma.257.9.929.
To evaluate the effect of UV germicidal irradiation of the air on the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections (URIs) in kittens in a nursery.
4- to 8-week-old kittens admitted to a kitten nursery in 2016 and 2018.
2 UV germicidal irradiation systems (1 within the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system and 1 attached to the ceiling) were installed in a kitten nursery. Data were collected on the number of kittens in which a URI was diagnosed by means of a physical examination. The incidence of URIs was compared between 2016, when no UV systems were used, and 2018, when the UV systems were used.
The overall incidence of URIs in 2016 was 12.4 cases/100 kitten admissions and in 2018 was 1.6 cases/100 kitten admissions, a significant decrease of 87.1% between the years.
A significant reduction in the incidence of URIs in kittens in a nursery was noted when the UV germicidal irradiation systems were used. Therefore, airborne transmission of feline respiratory pathogens may be more important than has been previously recognized. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation systems that disinfect the air may be an effective adjunct to standard infection prevention and control protocols in reducing the risk of the transmission of respiratory pathogens among kittens in nurseries and shelters. However, additional studies are needed to confirm the findings reported here.
评估空气紫外线杀菌照射对托儿所 kittens 上呼吸道感染 (URI) 发病率的影响。
2016 年和 2018 年入住 kitten 托儿所的 4 至 8 周龄 kittens。
在 kitten 托儿所安装了 2 个紫外线杀菌照射系统（1 个在加热、通风和空调系统内，1 个安装在天花板上）。通过体格检查收集诊断患有 URI 的 kittens 数量的数据。比较了 2016 年（未使用 UV 系统）和 2018 年（使用 UV 系统）的 URI 发病率。
2016 年整体 URI 发病率为 12.4 例/100 只 kitten 入院，2018 年为 1.6 例/100 只 kitten 入院，发病率显著降低了 87.1%。
当使用紫外线杀菌照射系统时，托儿所 kittens 的 URI 发病率显著降低。因此，猫呼吸道病原体的空气传播可能比以前认为的更为重要。空气消毒的紫外线杀菌照射系统可能是减少托儿所和收容所 kittens 呼吸道病原体传播风险的标准感染预防和控制方案的有效辅助手段。然而，需要进一步的研究来证实这里报告的发现。
