Environmental Contamination and Hygienic Measures After Feline Calicivirus Field Strain Infections of Cats in a Research Facility.

Andrea Monika Spiri,Barbara Riond,Regina Hofmann-Lehmann,Margaret J. Hosie,Marina Luisa Meli,Imogen Herbert

doi:10.3390/v11100958

Abstract

Feline calicivirus (FCV) can cause painful oral ulcerations, salivation, gingivitis/stomatitis, fever and depression in infected cats; highly virulent virus variants can lead to fatal epizootic outbreaks. Viral transmission occurs directly or indirectly via fomites. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and viability of FCV in the environment after sequential oronasal infections of specified pathogen-free cats with two FCV field strains in a research facility. Replicating virus was detected in saliva swabs from all ten cats after the first and in four out of ten cats after the second FCV exposure using virus isolation to identify FCV shedders. In the environment, where cleaning, but no disinfection took place, FCV viral RNA was detectable using RT-qPCR on all tested items and surfaces, including cat hair. However, only very limited evidence was found of replicating virus using virus isolation. Viral RNA remained demonstrable for at least 28 days after shedding had ceased in all cats. Disinfection with 5% sodium bicarbonate (and IncidinTM Plus) and barrier measures were effective in that no viral RNA was detectable outside the cat rooms. Our findings are important for any multicat environment to optimize hygienic measures against FCV infection.

Highlights

Feline calicivirus (FCV) is a common viral pathogen in cats worldwide
Oropharyngeal shedding of FCV was measured using cytobrush material from all ten challenged cats that was tested on Crandell-Rees feline kidney (CRFK) cultures and performing RT-qPCR on cell culture supernatants
Infection, all samples displayed cytopathic effect (CPE) in cell culture, and the supernatants tested positive for FCV by RT-qPCR (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Feline calicivirus (FCV) is a common viral pathogen in cats worldwide. FCV causes painful oral ulcerations, salivation, gingivitis/stomatitis, inappetence, fever and depression with a high morbidity, but low lethality [1,3,4]. FCV can occur as a very virulent form, causing severe clinical signs, due to systemic infection and inner organ involvement and high mortality rates up to 60% are reported [5,6,7]. Viral transmission occurs via direct cat-to-cat contact or indirectly via fomites (e.g., food bowls, contaminated coats). Reports from animal hospitals encountering outbreaks of virulent FCV infections emphasize that indirect transmission is a key factor in viral spread [5,13,14]

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