Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Utrecht, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands
Katrin Hartmann
Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, 80539 Munich, Germany
Ralf Mueller
Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, 80539 Munich, Germany
Maria Grazia Pennisi
I Periodeuti ASC, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Sándor Belák
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health (BVF), Swedish University of Agri-Cultural Sciences (SLU), P.O. Box 7036, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
Séverine Tasker
Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK
Karin Möstl
Retired from Institute of Virology, Department for Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Diane D. Addie
Independent Researcher, 64000 Pyrénées Aquitaine, France
Corine Boucraut-Baralon
Scanelis Laboratory, 31770 Colomiers, France
Tadeusz Frymus
Department of Small Animal Diseases with Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Regina Hofmann-Lehmann
Clinical Laboratory, Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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
Margaret J. Hosie
MRC—University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
Different types of feline papillomaviruses (PVs) are associated with a variety of skin lesions and neoplasia, such as papillomas and cell carcinomas, but the virus can also be found in healthy skin. In this review, the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD), a scientifically independent board of veterinary experts on feline infectious diseases from 11 European Countries, discusses the current knowledge of feline PV infections. Cats most likely become infected through lesions or abrasions of the skin. Most PV infections remain asymptomatic. Besides cat-specific PVs, DNA sequences most closely related to human and bovine PVs have been detected in feline skin lesions. Diagnosis is supported by the histological detection of PV-induced cell changes and intralesional detection of viral antigen (immunostaining) or viral DNA (in situ hybridization). Immunostaining of p16CDKN2A protein (p16) can be performed as a proxy marker for PV-induced neoplasms. There is no specific treatment for PV-induced skin lesions. Spontaneous regression commonly occurs. In the case of invasive squamous cell carcinoma (ISCC), complete excision should be considered, if possible.
