A New Genotype of Feline Morbillivirus Infects Primary Cells of the Lung, Kidney, Brain and Peripheral Blood
Michael Sieg,
Johannes Busch,
Maria Eschke,
Denny Böttcher,
Kristin Heenemann,
Annett Vahlenkamp,
Anja Reinert,
Johannes Seeger,
Romy Heilmann,
Kira Scheffler,
Thomas W. Vahlenkamp
Affiliations
Michael Sieg
Institute of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, An den Tierkliniken 29, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Johannes Busch
Institute of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, An den Tierkliniken 29, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Maria Eschke
Institute of Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, An den Tierkliniken 11, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Denny Böttcher
Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, An den Tierkliniken 33, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Kristin Heenemann
Institute of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, An den Tierkliniken 29, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Annett Vahlenkamp
Tierarztpraxis Böhlen Dr. A. Vahlenkamp, Leipziger Straße 73, 04564 Böhlen, Germany
Anja Reinert
Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, An den Tierkliniken 43, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Johannes Seeger
Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, An den Tierkliniken 43, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Romy Heilmann
Department for Small Animals, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, An den Tierkliniken 23, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Kira Scheffler
Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Medical Department, Leipzig University, Härtelstraße 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
Thomas W. Vahlenkamp
Institute of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, An den Tierkliniken 29, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Paramyxoviruses comprise a large number of diverse viruses which in part give rise to severe diseases in affected hosts. A new genotype of feline morbillivirus, tentatively named feline morbillivirus genotype 2 (FeMV-GT2), was isolated from urine of cats with urinary tract diseases. Whole genome sequencing showed about 78% nucleotide homology to known feline morbilliviruses. The virus was isolated in permanent cell lines of feline and simian origin. To investigate the cell tropism of FeMV-GT2 feline primary epithelial cells from the kidney, the urinary bladder and the lung, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), as well as organotypic brain slice cultures were used for infection experiments. We demonstrate that FeMV-GT2 is able to infect renal and pulmonary epithelial cells, primary cells from the cerebrum and cerebellum, as well as immune cells in the blood, especially CD4+ T cells, CD20+ B cells and monocytes. The cats used for virus isolation shed FeMV-GT2 continuously for several months despite the presence of neutralizing antibodies in the blood. Our results point towards the necessity of increased awareness for this virus when clinical signs of the aforementioned organs are encountered in cats which cannot be explained by other etiologies.
