Feline Morbillivirus: Clinical Relevance of a Widespread Endemic Viral Infection of Cats
Maria Grazia Pennisi,
Sándor Belák,
Séverine Tasker,
Diane D. Addie,
Corine Boucraut-Baralon,
Herman Egberink,
Tadeusz Frymus,
Katrin Hartmann,
Regina Hofmann-Lehmann,
Albert Lloret,
Fulvio Marsilio,
Etienne Thiry,
Uwe Truyen,
Karin Möstl,
Margaret J. Hosie
Affiliations
Maria Grazia Pennisi
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
Sándor Belák
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health (BVF), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O. Box 7036, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
Séverine Tasker
Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK
Diane D. Addie
Independent Researcher, 64000 Pyrénées Aquitaine, France
Corine Boucraut-Baralon
Scanelis Laboratory, 31770 Colomiers, France
Herman Egberink
Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Utrecht, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands
Tadeusz Frymus
Department of Small Animal Diseases with Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGWW, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Katrin Hartmann
LMU Small Animal Clinic, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, 80539 Munich, Germany
Regina Hofmann-Lehmann
Clinical Laboratory, Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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
Karin Möstl
Institute of Virology, Department for Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Margaret J. Hosie
MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Garscube Estate, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) was first isolated in 2012 from stray cats in Hong Kong. It has been found in association with tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN), the most common cause of feline chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, viral host spectrum and virus tropism go beyond the domestic cat and kidney tissues. The viral genetic diversity of FeMV is extensive, but it is not known if this is clinically relevant. Urine and kidney tissues have been widely tested in attempts to confirm associations between FeMV infection and renal disease, but samples from both healthy and sick cats can test positive and some cross-sectional studies have not found associations between FeMV infection and CKD. There is also evidence for acute kidney injury following infection with FeMV. The results of prevalence studies differ greatly depending on the population tested and methodologies used for detection, but worldwide distribution of FeMV has been shown. Experimental studies have confirmed previous field observations that higher viral loads are present in the urine compared to other tissues, and renal TIN lesions associated with FeMV antigen have been demonstrated, alongside virus lymphotropism and viraemia-associated lymphopenia. Longitudinal field studies have revealed persistent viral shedding in urine, although infection can be cleared spontaneously.
