Infectious causes for feline upper respiratory tract disease--a case-control study.
The aim of this case-control study was to investigate the prevalence of microorganisms in group-living cats with clinical signs of upper respiratory tract disease (URTD), in in-contact cats and in cats in groups without URTD problems. Samples were taken from the ventral conjunctival fornix for analysis of feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV), Mycoplasma felis and Chlamydiaceae using a real-time polymerase chain reaction technique. The oropharynx was sampled for bacteriological culture and viral isolation. Specific infectious agents were identified in 11/20 (55%) of the case households, in 7/20 (35%) of the cats with clinical signs and in 3/20 (15%) of the control households, in 3/40 (7.5%) of the cats. Chlamydiae and M felis were only detected from case households, both from cats with URTD and from in-contact cats. The difference in prevalence between case and control households was statistically significant for M felis (P=0.047). The presence of M felis in cat groups was thus associated with clinical signs of URTD.
Holst
Bodil Ström
BS
SLU, Department of Clinical Sciences, Box 7054, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden. bodil.strom-holst@kv.slu.se
Hanås
Sofia
S
Berndtsson
Louise T
LT
Hansson
Ingrid
I
Söderlund
Robert
R
Aspán
Anna
A
Sjödahl-Essén
Titti
T
Bölske
Göran
G
Greko
Christina
C
D000818:Animals; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D002415:Cats; D002693:Chlamydiaceae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000382:microbiology*; D003234:Conjunctivitis, Bacterial / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D003236:Conjunctivitis, Viral / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology; D006564:Herpesviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006799:Housing, Animal; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*