Feline coronaviruses (FCoVs) that commonly infect cats, usually cause asymptomatic infection or only mild symptoms. In rare cases however, a severe, multisystem syndrome, known as feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) develops.
Feline coronaviruses (FCoVs) that commonly infect cats, usually cause asymptomatic infection or only mild symptoms. In rare cases however, a severe, multisystem syndrome, known as feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) develops. With higher prevalence during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the question arose whether co-infections with other coronaviruses may have caused recombination that influenced the prevalence of FIP cases. Therefore, the pan-coronavirus enrichment panel for metagenomic sequencing was used to retrospectively analyse a total of 19 samples from 13 domestic cats (stratified in two groups: five with FIP and eight without FIP), collected between 2022 and 2023. Although no coronaviruses other than FCoV were detected, near complete FCoV genomes were obtained. Sequence similarity revealed Type-I FCoV (FIPV-I-UCD1) in all cases and high inter-organ genetic diversity in three cats with multiple samples from FIP group. A known FIP related mutation, M1058L was detected exclusively in FIP cases while S1060A, another FIP related mutation, was absent in all samples of both groups. A further FIP marker, premature stop codon in 3c gene, was detected only in two cats, both with dry FIP presentation. Findings dismiss recombination events but support the association of S gene M1058L mutation and the truncation of 3c gene with FIP development.
Feline coronaviruses (FCoVs) that commonly infect cats, usually cause asymptomatic infection or only mild symptoms. In rare cases however, a severe, multisystem syndrome, known as feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) develops. With higher prevalence during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the question arose whether co-infections with other coronaviruses may have caused recombination that influenced the prevalence of FIP cases. Therefore, the pan-coronavirus enrichment panel for metagenomic sequencing was used to retrospectively analyse a total of 19 samples from 13 domestic cats (stratified in two groups: five with FIP and eight without FIP), collected between 2022 and 2023. Although no coronaviruses other than FCoV were detected, near complete FCoV genomes were obtained. Sequence similarity revealed Type-I FCoV (FIPV-I-UCD1) in all cases and high inter-organ genetic diversity in three cats with multiple samples from FIP group. A known FIP related mutation, M1058L was detected exclusively in FIP cases while S1060A, another FIP related mutation, was absent in all samples of both groups. A further FIP marker, premature stop codon in 3c gene, was detected only in two cats, both with dry FIP presentation. Findings dismiss recombination events but support the association of S gene M1058L mutation and the truncation of 3c gene with FIP development.