title: High viral loads despite absence of clinical and pathological findings in cats experimentally infected with feline coronavirus (FCoV) type I and in naturally FCoV-infected cats.
abstract: Specified pathogen-free cats were naturally infected with FCoV or experimentally infected with FCoV type I. Seroconversion was determined and the course of infection was monitored by measuring the FCoV loads in faeces, whole blood, plasma and/or monocytes. Tissue samples collected at necropsy were examined for viral load and histopathological changes. Experimentally infected animals started shedding virus as soon as 2 days after infection. They generally displayed the highest viral loads in colon, ileum and mesenteric lymph nodes. Seroconversion occurred 3-4 weeks post infection. Naturally infected cats were positive for FCoV antibodies and monocyte-associated FCoV viraemia prior to death. At necropsy, most animals tested positive for viral shedding and FCoV RNA was found in spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes and bone marrow. Both experimentally and naturally infected cats remained clinically healthy. Pathological findings were restricted to generalized lymphatic hyperplasia. These findings demonstrate the presence of systemic FCoV infection with high viral loads in the absence of clinical and pathological signs.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 260, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland. mmeli@vetclinics.unizh.ch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kipar
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jenal
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gönczi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Borel
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gunn-Moore
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chalmers
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reinacher
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lutz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D002415:Cats; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D016765:Coronavirus, Feline / Q000145:classification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D017931:DNA Primers; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D019562:Viral Load / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D012367:RNA, Viral