Abstract
Avian influenza A virus subtype H5N1 was transmitted to domestic cats by close contact with infected birds. Virus-specific nucleic acids were detected in pharyngeal swabs from 3 of 40 randomly sampled cats from a group of 194 animals (day 8 after contact with an infected swan). All cats were transferred to a quarantine station and monitored for clinical signs, virus shedding, and antibody production until day 50. Despite unfamiliar handling, social distress, and the presence of other viral and nonviral pathogens that caused illness and poor health and compromised the immune systems, clinical signs of influenza did not develop in any of the cats. There was no evidence of horizontal transmission to other cats because antibodies against H5N1 virus developed in only 2 cats.
Highlights
Avian influenza A virus subtype H5N1 was transmitted to domestic cats by close contact with infected birds
No data are available on nonlethal outcomes of H5N1 infection in cats and whether horizontal transmission between feline hosts occurs under natural conditions
All veterinarians and staff members at the animal shelter and at the quarantine area were clinically monitored for any influenzalike symptoms. Because results of this monitoring were unremarkable and virus excretion by the cats was not detected, serologic tests were not conducted for these persons. This is the first description of an asymptomatic infection with highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza virus in domestic cats
Summary
Avian influenza A virus subtype H5N1 was transmitted to domestic cats by close contact with infected birds. All cats were transferred to a quarantine station and monitored for clinical signs, virus shedding, and antibody production until day 50. Horizontal transmission by experimentally infected cats has been demonstrated [3] and was assumed under natural conditions in tigers in Thailand [8]. In the same shelter were 194 cats; most had access to an outdoor enclosure near the poultry area and were separated from the birds by a wire-mesh fence. The purpose of this study was to monitor health status and possible transmission within a large cat population with proven natural exposure to H5N1 influenza virus
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