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Pennisi MG, Belák S, Tasker S, Addie DD, Boucraut-Baralon C, Egberink H, Frymus T, Hartmann K, Hofmann-Lehmann R, Lloret A, Marsilio F, Thiry E, Truyen U, Möstl K, Hosie MJ. Feline Morbillivirus: Clinical Relevance of a Widespread Endemic Viral Infection of Cats. Viruses 2023; 15:2087. [PMID: 37896864 PMCID: PMC10611265 DOI: 10.3390/v15102087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) was first isolated in 2012 from stray cats in Hong Kong. It has been found in association with tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN), the most common cause of feline chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, viral host spectrum and virus tropism go beyond the domestic cat and kidney tissues. The viral genetic diversity of FeMV is extensive, but it is not known if this is clinically relevant. Urine and kidney tissues have been widely tested in attempts to confirm associations between FeMV infection and renal disease, but samples from both healthy and sick cats can test positive and some cross-sectional studies have not found associations between FeMV infection and CKD. There is also evidence for acute kidney injury following infection with FeMV. The results of prevalence studies differ greatly depending on the population tested and methodologies used for detection, but worldwide distribution of FeMV has been shown. Experimental studies have confirmed previous field observations that higher viral loads are present in the urine compared to other tissues, and renal TIN lesions associated with FeMV antigen have been demonstrated, alongside virus lymphotropism and viraemia-associated lymphopenia. Longitudinal field studies have revealed persistent viral shedding in urine, although infection can be cleared spontaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sándor Belák
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health (BVF), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O. Box 7036, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden;
| | - Séverine Tasker
- Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK;
- Linnaeus Veterinary Limited, Shirley, Solihull B90 4BN, UK
| | - Diane D. Addie
- Independent Researcher, 64000 Pyrénées Aquitaine, France;
| | | | - Herman Egberink
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Utrecht, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| | - Tadeusz Frymus
- Department of Small Animal Diseases with Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGWW, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Katrin Hartmann
- LMU Small Animal Clinic, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, 80539 Munich, Germany;
| | - Regina Hofmann-Lehmann
- Clinical Laboratory, Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland;
| | - Albert Lloret
- Fundació Hospital Clínic Veterinari, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Fulvio Marsilio
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy;
| | - Etienne Thiry
- Veterinary Virology and Animal Viral Diseases, Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, FARAH Research Centre, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Liège University, B-4000 Liège, Belgium;
| | - Uwe Truyen
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany;
| | - Karin Möstl
- Institute of Virology, Department for Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Margaret J. Hosie
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Garscube Estate, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK;
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Donato G, Masucci M, De Luca E, Alibrandi A, De Majo M, Berjaoui S, Martino C, Mangano C, Lorusso A, Pennisi MG. Feline Morbillivirus in Southern Italy: Epidemiology, Clinico-Pathological Features and Phylogenetic Analysis in Cats. Viruses 2021; 13:v13081449. [PMID: 34452315 PMCID: PMC8402783 DOI: 10.3390/v13081449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) was isolated for the first time in 2012 with an association with chronic kidney disease (CKD) suggested. This study aimed at investigating in cats from southern Italy FeMV prevalence and risk factors for exposure to FeMV, including the relationship with CKD; sequencing amplicons and analyzing phylogeny of PCR positive samples. Blood serum, K3EDTA blood and urine samples from 223 cats were investigated. Ten carcasses were also evaluated. FeMV RNA was detected in 2.4% (5/211) blood and 16.1% (36/223) urine samples. One carcass tested positive by qPCRFeMV from kidney, urinary bladder, and submandibular lymph nodes. Antibodies against FeMV were detected in 14.5% (28/193) cats. We followed up 27 cats (13 FeMV positive cats) and documented in some cases urine shedding after up to 360 days. Older and foundling cats and cats living in rescue catteries, were more frequently infected with FeMV. A significant correlation between FeMV and higher serum creatinine values or low urine specific gravity was found. FeMV positivity was significantly associated with retroviral infection, and the presence of some clinical signs apart from CKD clinicopathological markers. Our study highlights the possibility of a link between FeMV exposure and CKD and a general impairment of feline health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Donato
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy; (M.M.); (M.D.M.); (C.M.); (M.G.P.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Marisa Masucci
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy; (M.M.); (M.D.M.); (C.M.); (M.G.P.)
| | - Eliana De Luca
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise (IZSAM), 64100 Teramo, Italy; (E.D.L.); (S.B.); (C.M.); (A.L.)
| | - Angela Alibrandi
- Department of Economy, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy;
| | - Massimo De Majo
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy; (M.M.); (M.D.M.); (C.M.); (M.G.P.)
| | - Shadia Berjaoui
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise (IZSAM), 64100 Teramo, Italy; (E.D.L.); (S.B.); (C.M.); (A.L.)
| | - Camillo Martino
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise (IZSAM), 64100 Teramo, Italy; (E.D.L.); (S.B.); (C.M.); (A.L.)
| | - Cyndi Mangano
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy; (M.M.); (M.D.M.); (C.M.); (M.G.P.)
| | - Alessio Lorusso
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise (IZSAM), 64100 Teramo, Italy; (E.D.L.); (S.B.); (C.M.); (A.L.)
| | - Maria Grazia Pennisi
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy; (M.M.); (M.D.M.); (C.M.); (M.G.P.)
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De Luca E, Sautto GA, Crisi PE, Lorusso A. Feline Morbillivirus Infection in Domestic Cats: What Have We Learned So Far? Viruses 2021; 13:v13040683. [PMID: 33921104 PMCID: PMC8071394 DOI: 10.3390/v13040683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) was identified for the first time in stray cats in 2012 in Hong Kong and, since its discovery, it was reported in domestic cats worldwide. Although a potential association between FeMV infection and tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) has been suggested, this has not been proven, and the subject remains controversial. TIN is the most frequent histopathological finding in the context of feline chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is one of the major clinical pathologies in feline medicine. FeMV research has mainly focused on defining the epidemiology, the role of FeMV in the development of CKD, and its in vitro tropism, but the pathogenicity of FeMV is still not clear, partly due to its distinctive biological characteristics, as well as to a lack of a cell culture system for its rapid isolation. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of FeMV infection, including genetic diversity of FeMV strains, epidemiology, pathogenicity, and clinicopathological findings observed in naturally infected cats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliana De Luca
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise (IZSAM), 64100 Teramo, Italy;
| | | | - Paolo Emidio Crisi
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary University Hospital, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy;
| | - Alessio Lorusso
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise (IZSAM), 64100 Teramo, Italy;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0861332440
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Seroprevalence of Infection with Feline Morbilliviruses Is Associated with FLUTD and Increased Blood Creatinine Concentrations in Domestic Cats. Viruses 2021; 13:v13040578. [PMID: 33808115 PMCID: PMC8065871 DOI: 10.3390/v13040578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Feline morbilliviruses (FeMV) are fairly newly discovered paramyxoviruses found in cats. The first description indicated an association with widely distributed chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the host species. In various studies, a global prevalence and a further genotype, designated FeMV-2, and the involvement of other organ systems in infected individuals were shown. Using an immunofluorescence assay, we detected an overall seroprevalence of FeMV in almost half of the cats investigated (n = 380), with a significantly increased proportion in younger animals. In comparison to European Shorthair cats, the rate of seropositivity is higher in pedigree cats. Regardless of the breed, FeMV infection was associated with increased blood creatinine concentrations, suggesting an association with CKD. Further analysis indicated that this association was the strongest in animals having high IFA titers against FeMV-2. In addition, a significant association between FeMV-positive status and the prevalence of feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD, or idiopathic cystitis) was detected. This association was dominated by cats having antibodies against FeMV-1 only. To further evaluate the positive correlation between FeMV seroprevalence and CKD as well as FLUTD, consideration of additional clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters is warranted, and controlled infection studies with both FeMV genotypes are necessary. Clinicians should, however, be aware of a possible link between renal and lower urinary tract disease and FeMV infections.
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