Institute of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, An den Tierkliniken 29, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
Department for Small Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, An den Tierkliniken 23, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
Viruses. 2021 Mar 30;13(4):578. doi: 10.3390/v13040578.
Feline morbilliviruses (FeMV) are fairly newly discovered paramyxoviruses found in cats. The first description indicated an association with widely distributed chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the host species. In various studies, a global prevalence and a further genotype, designated FeMV-2, and the involvement of other organ systems in infected individuals were shown. Using an immunofluorescence assay, we detected an overall seroprevalence of FeMV in almost half of the cats investigated ( = 380), with a significantly increased proportion in younger animals. In comparison to European Shorthair cats, the rate of seropositivity is higher in pedigree cats. Regardless of the breed, FeMV infection was associated with increased blood creatinine concentrations, suggesting an association with CKD. Further analysis indicated that this association was the strongest in animals having high IFA titers against FeMV-2. In addition, a significant association between FeMV-positive status and the prevalence of feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD, or idiopathic cystitis) was detected. This association was dominated by cats having antibodies against FeMV-1 only. To further evaluate the positive correlation between FeMV seroprevalence and CKD as well as FLUTD, consideration of additional clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters is warranted, and controlled infection studies with both FeMV genotypes are necessary. Clinicians should, however, be aware of a possible link between renal and lower urinary tract disease and FeMV infections.
猫传染性呼吸道病病毒（FeMV）是一种新发现的副黏病毒，存在于猫科动物中。最初的描述表明其与宿主物种中广泛分布的慢性肾病（CKD）有关。在各种研究中，显示了这种病毒在全球的流行情况以及进一步的基因型，即 FeMV-2，并且还涉及到感染个体的其他器官系统。我们使用免疫荧光测定法检测到，在所研究的近一半猫中（= 380），FeMV 的总体血清阳性率较高，而年轻动物中的比例明显更高。与欧洲短毛猫相比，纯种猫的血清阳性率更高。无论品种如何，FeMV 感染与血肌酐浓度升高有关，提示与 CKD 有关。进一步的分析表明，这种关联在针对 FeMV-2 的 IFA 滴度较高的动物中最强。此外，还检测到 FeMV 阳性状态与猫下尿路疾病（FLUTD，或特发性膀胱炎）的流行之间存在显著关联。这种关联主要由仅对 FeMV-1 有抗体的猫引起。为了进一步评估 FeMV 血清阳性率与 CKD 和 FLUTD 之间的正相关关系，需要考虑其他临床特征和实验室参数，并对两种 FeMV 基因型进行对照感染研究。然而，临床医生应该意识到肾脏和下尿路疾病与 FeMV 感染之间可能存在联系。
