Clinical manifestations in cats with feline panleukopenia

Abstract

Feline panleukopenia is a rapidly progressive viral disease of domestic cats caused by a single stranded parvovirus of the genus Protoparvovirus. The virus, owing to its ubiquitous nature, remains persistent in the environment for extended periods leading to frequent exposures in naïve cat population. Clinically, the disease is manifested as haemorrhagic enteritis characterised by vomiting, diarrhoea, dysentery, dehydration, shock and death. Previous studies conducted by Parthiban et al. (2014) and Koulath et al. (2017) detected feline panleukopenia in domestic cats of India using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting VP2 gene of the virus. However, data related to the clinical manifestations of this disease in cats in India is limited. The current paper deals with the clinical findings of cats affected with feline panleukopenia in Kerala.