Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Isolation and characterization of Chlamydia felis and its pathogenesis in cats.
- Journal:
- Veterinary microbiology
- Year:
- 2024
- Authors:
- Chen, Jiancai et al.
- Affiliation:
- College of Animal Science and Technology · China
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study in Guangxi Province, China, looked at upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) in cats, which is a common but complex illness. Researchers tested 396 cats and found that the most common infectious agent was Mycoplasma felis, followed by feline calicivirus, Chlamydia felis, feline herpesvirus 1, and feline influenza A virus. They isolated a strain of Chlamydia felis from one of the infected cats and found that it caused severe eye inflammation, fever, and breathing issues in both high- and low-dose test groups. The infection spread to various organs, including the liver and kidneys. This research helps us understand how Chlamydia felis contributes to URTD in cats and could aid in developing vaccines and treatments in the future.
Abstract
Feline upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) is a common but complicated disease that occurs in domestic cats, worldwide. 396 cats in Guangxi Province, China were screened for URTD-associated pathogens from March 2022 to August 2023. Mycoplasma felis was found to be the most prevalent infectious agent with a positivity rate of 24.75 %, followed by feline calicivirus (FCV), Chlamydia felis, feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV-1) and feline influenza A virus (FeIAV) with rates of 15.91, 11.62, 5.56 and 1.52 %, respectively. In particular, C. felis and M. felis were found in 13 of 55 co-infected cats. Of the 46 C. felis-positive samples, one strain, named as GXNN36, was successfully isolated using chicken embryos and it was characterized both in vivo and in vitro. For the cat studies, both high- and low-dose challenged groups showed severe conjunctivitis, accompanied by transient fever and respiratory symptoms. C. felis replicated well in turbinate, trachea and lung tissues with high copy numbers and the infection subsequently spread to the livers, spleens, pancreas, kidneys, hearts and intestines. These findings will help our understanding of the role of C. felis in feline URTD and provide a valuable model to evaluate the efficacy of vaccines and therapeutic remedies in the future.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38851154/