Abstract
This study describes the clinical course of an inadvertent feline herpesvirus, type 1 (FHV-1) outbreak in 2 specific pathogen-free (SPF) research and breeding colonies housing 690 cats and assesses a programme that was designed to eradicate the virus from the colonies. The clinical signs observed in these cats were milder, with more eye involvement than those previously described for FHV-1 infection and did not include abortion. FHV-1 eradication was based on the detection and elimination of both active and latent viral carriers. Carrier cats were detected by virus isolation from oral swabs before and after corticosteroid-induced reactivation of FHV-1 excretion. Four per cent of recovered cats were actively shedding virus prior to corticosteroid treatment; 21 % of the virus negative cats shed virus after one corticosteroid injection, and 12% of remaining culture negative cats tested positive upon a second corticosteroid treatment 6 weeks later. The colony remained virus free for 8 months after all detectable virus carriers were culled and there was no seroconversion among new kittens. A second epizootic of FHV-1 then occurred among susceptible animals. At this time, all breeding cats that had tested negative after 2 injections of corticosteroids were treated a third time; 23% of them now tested positive for FHV-1. This study demonstrates that corticosteroid treatment can be useful in improving the rate of detection, essential as a basis for decreasing the incidence of enzootic disease, but it is unlikely to detect all possible FHV-1 carriers in large populations of cats.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 320-329 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Laboratory Animals |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 1 1994 |
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Keywords
- cats
- corticosteroids
- Feline herpesvirus type 1
- latent infection
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Animal Science and Zoology
- veterinary(all)
Cite this
An epizootic of feline herpesvirus, type 1 in a large specific pathogen-free cat colony and attempts to eradicate the infection by identification and culling of carriers. / Hickman, Mary A.; Reubel, Gerhard H.; Hoffman, Diane E.; Morris, James; Rogers, Quinton; Pedersen, Niels C.
In: Laboratory Animals, Vol. 28, No. 4, 01.10.1994, p. 320-329.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - An epizootic of feline herpesvirus, type 1 in a large specific pathogen-free cat colony and attempts to eradicate the infection by identification and culling of carriers
AU - Hickman, Mary A.
AU - Reubel, Gerhard H.
AU - Hoffman, Diane E.
AU - Morris, James
AU - Rogers, Quinton
AU - Pedersen, Niels C
PY - 1994/10/1
Y1 - 1994/10/1
N2 - This study describes the clinical course of an inadvertent feline herpesvirus, type 1 (FHV-1) outbreak in 2 specific pathogen-free (SPF) research and breeding colonies housing 690 cats and assesses a programme that was designed to eradicate the virus from the colonies. The clinical signs observed in these cats were milder, with more eye involvement than those previously described for FHV-1 infection and did not include abortion. FHV-1 eradication was based on the detection and elimination of both active and latent viral carriers. Carrier cats were detected by virus isolation from oral swabs before and after corticosteroid-induced reactivation of FHV-1 excretion. Four per cent of recovered cats were actively shedding virus prior to corticosteroid treatment; 21 % of the virus negative cats shed virus after one corticosteroid injection, and 12% of remaining culture negative cats tested positive upon a second corticosteroid treatment 6 weeks later. The colony remained virus free for 8 months after all detectable virus carriers were culled and there was no seroconversion among new kittens. A second epizootic of FHV-1 then occurred among susceptible animals. At this time, all breeding cats that had tested negative after 2 injections of corticosteroids were treated a third time; 23% of them now tested positive for FHV-1. This study demonstrates that corticosteroid treatment can be useful in improving the rate of detection, essential as a basis for decreasing the incidence of enzootic disease, but it is unlikely to detect all possible FHV-1 carriers in large populations of cats.
AB - This study describes the clinical course of an inadvertent feline herpesvirus, type 1 (FHV-1) outbreak in 2 specific pathogen-free (SPF) research and breeding colonies housing 690 cats and assesses a programme that was designed to eradicate the virus from the colonies. The clinical signs observed in these cats were milder, with more eye involvement than those previously described for FHV-1 infection and did not include abortion. FHV-1 eradication was based on the detection and elimination of both active and latent viral carriers. Carrier cats were detected by virus isolation from oral swabs before and after corticosteroid-induced reactivation of FHV-1 excretion. Four per cent of recovered cats were actively shedding virus prior to corticosteroid treatment; 21 % of the virus negative cats shed virus after one corticosteroid injection, and 12% of remaining culture negative cats tested positive upon a second corticosteroid treatment 6 weeks later. The colony remained virus free for 8 months after all detectable virus carriers were culled and there was no seroconversion among new kittens. A second epizootic of FHV-1 then occurred among susceptible animals. At this time, all breeding cats that had tested negative after 2 injections of corticosteroids were treated a third time; 23% of them now tested positive for FHV-1. This study demonstrates that corticosteroid treatment can be useful in improving the rate of detection, essential as a basis for decreasing the incidence of enzootic disease, but it is unlikely to detect all possible FHV-1 carriers in large populations of cats.
KW - cats
KW - corticosteroids
KW - Feline herpesvirus type 1
KW - latent infection
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0027940339&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0027940339&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1258/002367794780745038
DO - 10.1258/002367794780745038
M3 - Article
C2 - 7830371
AN - SCOPUS:0027940339
VL - 28
SP - 320
EP - 329
JO - Laboratory Animals
JF - Laboratory Animals
SN - 0023-6772
IS - 4
ER -