Investigation of canine parvovirus occurrence in cats with clinical signs of feline panleukopenia in Slovakia – pilot study
, , , , , , , , and | Apr 15, 2024
Published Online: Apr 15, 2024
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Received: Oct 20, 2023
Accepted: Mar 28, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2024-0021
Keywords
© 2024 Alexandra Citarová et al., published by Sciendo
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Introduction
Feline panleukopenia is a contagious viral disease caused by the feline panleukopenia virus (FPV). A closely related pathogen is canine parvovirus (CPV), and amino acid substitutions in this virus allow it to acquire a feline host range. In feline hosts, the disease induced by CPV manifests with similar symptoms to those caused by FPV or milder ones, leading to its underdiagnosis. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of CPV type 2 (CPV-2) in cats with clinical symptoms of panleukopenia and to assess the use of commercial CPV antigen tests for the clinical diagnosis of FPV.
Material and Methods
Samples from 59 cats from central Slovakia were included in the study. Rectal swabs were collected and clinically tested for parvovirus infection using a commercial antigen test. Antigen-positive samples were confirmed by PCR targeting the viral
Results
Of 59 samples, 23 were revealed to be positive for parvovirus infection by both antigen and PCR test (38.9%). Analysis with the National Center for Biotechnology Information BLASTn application showed 99.78–100% pairwise identity with FPV. The mortality rate of parvovirus-infected cats included in this study was 8.69% (2/23).
Conclusion
Although feline disease with CPV-2 was not confirmed, the CPV antigen test was able to detect FPV infection.