Feline coronavirus

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Feline coronavirus operates differently from any other feline virus in several

important ways: a) systemic antibodies have no protective function for the cat

and may play a role in the disease FIP itself b) antibody titres are meaningless

for diagnosis of FIP or prognosis c) a vaccine is available, but there is no

consensus on its efficacy or safety

 

First, some notes on terminology.

 

 

a.. FIP is the term for clinical disease associated with feline coronavirus

infection.

b.. The common benign form of feline coronavirus is referred to as FECV

(feline enteric coronavirus).

c.. When FECV has mutated into a disease-causing form, it is then referred to

as FIPV (feline infectious peritonitis virus).

d.. Feline coronaviruses in general are referred to as FCoV.

FECV is a very common, highly infectious feline virus. It belongs to the genus

Coronavirus, which has members that infect other species (man, swine, cattle,

birds, dogs). The majority of cats with FECV (about 95% or more) remain healthy.

But in a small number of cases, FECV infection is the first step in a chain of

events leading to FIP. This happens because coronaviruses are made of large

numbers of nucleotides, the basic unit of genetic material, and they are very

prone to mutations. As a virus reproduces itself, errors are made in copying

these nucleotides. The more nucleotides, the more errors are possible. While

most of these errors are harmless, some will have the effect of giving FECV the

ability to cause disease. These mutant FECV strains are called FIPV.

 

Recent research has shown that mutant FECVs arise within an individual cat.

Thus, we now know that the vast majority of cats do not " catch " FIP, but they

develop it themselves from their own mutant FECV. Transmission of FIP from cat

to cat is considered to be rare. This fact has caused leading FIP researchers to

state that cats who are ill with FIP are unlikely to be a risk to other cats and

thus do not need to be isolated.

 

For more information go to;

 

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/health/FIP.html