Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Powell, OH 43065, USA,
The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
J Zoo Wildl Med. 2023 Oct;54(3):628-638. doi: 10.1638/2022-0159.
Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a systemic disease in felid species caused by infection with mutated forms of feline coronavirus (FCoV), and outbreaks can devastate exotic felid populations in human care. Feline infectious peritonitis was diagnosed in three of four related juvenile sand cats () from a single institution over a 6-wk period. Case 1 was a 7-mon-old male found deceased with no premonitory signs. Case 2, an 8-mon-old male (littermate to Case 1), and Case 3, a 6-mon-old male (from a different litter with identical parentage), were evaluated for lethargy and anorexia 1 mon after Case 1. Both exhibited transient anisocoria and progressive lethargy, anorexia, and dehydration despite antibiotic and supportive treatment. Approximately 1 wk after initial presentation, Case 2 was humanely euthanized, and Case 3 was found deceased. Necropsy findings included intrathoracic and/or intra-abdominal lymphadenopathy (3/3 cases), bicavitary effusion (2/3), multifocal tan hepatic and intestinal nodules (1/3), and multifocal yellow renal nodules (1/3). Histologically, all cats had severe pyogranulomatous vasculitis in multiple organs, and the presence of FCoV antigen was confirmed using immunohistochemical staining. Next-generation sequencing of the virus from Case 3's affected kidney demonstrated ∼93% homology to the UG-FH8 virus, a serotype 1 feline alphacoronavirus isolated from Denmark. Future research will focus on comparative viral genomic sequencing with the goals of identifying potential sources of FCoV infection and identifying features that may have contributed to the development of FIP in this species.
猫传染性腹膜炎（FIP）是一种在猫科动物中发生的全身性疾病，由感染突变形式的猫冠状病毒（FCoV）引起，疫情爆发可能会摧毁人类照顾下的外来猫科动物种群。在一家机构中，6 周内有 4 只相关幼年沙丘猫（）中诊断出 3 例 FIP。病例 1 是一只 7 月龄雄性，死亡，无先兆症状。病例 2，一只 8 月龄雄性（与病例 1 为同窝兄弟），和病例 3，一只 6 月龄雄性（来自不同窝，具有相同的双亲），在病例 1 后 1 个月因嗜睡和厌食接受评估。两者均表现出短暂的瞳孔大小不等和进行性嗜睡、厌食和脱水，尽管进行了抗生素和支持性治疗。在初次就诊后约 1 周，病例 2 被人道安乐死，病例 3 被发现死亡。尸检发现包括胸腔和/或腹腔淋巴结病（3/3 例）、双腔积液（2/3）、肝和肠道多灶性褐色结节（1/3）和多灶性黄色肾结节（1/3）。组织学上，所有猫的多个器官均存在严重的化脓性血管炎，并且使用免疫组织化学染色证实存在 FCoV 抗原。来自病例 3 受影响肾脏的病毒的下一代测序显示与 UG-FH8 病毒具有约 93%的同源性，UG-FH8 病毒是从丹麦分离的一种血清型 1 猫α冠状病毒。未来的研究将集中于对病毒进行比较基因组测序，以确定 FCoV 感染的潜在来源，并确定可能导致该物种发生 FIP 的特征。
