Aspergillosis is a sporadic mycosis that occurs worldwide in mammals and birds. Similar to the disease in humans, aspergillosis in cats can be classified by anatomic location, invasiveness, duration of infection, host immune status, pathology, and pathogenesis.
In contrast to single-celled yeasts, dermatophytes (literally: “skin plants”) are complex fungi growing as hyphae and forming a mycelium. Almost 40 species belonging to the genera Microsporum, Trichophyton and Epidermophyton are considered as dermatophytes.
This bacterial species was discovered in ground squirrels in Tulare County, California, in 1911. Tularaemia is a potentially fatal zoonosis mostly found in the Northern hemisphere.
Capnocytophaga canimorsus and C. cynodegmi are part of the normal bacterial flora in the oral cavity of dogs and cats; C. canimorsus is more pathogenic and causes more severe infections in humans.
The plague is currently endemic in many parts of the world and foci of plague occur in Asia, Africa and the Americas in semiarid areas where flea vectors are active all year round and rodent reservoirs are abundant (Valles et al., 2020).
Currently most of human cases occur in
Leptospires are mobile, thin, filamentous bacteria of a size of 6.0-25.0 mm length and 0.1-0.2 mm width, that appear as fine spirals often with hook-shaped ends (Fig. 1) (Bharti et al., 2003; Adler and de la Pena Moctezuma, 2010).
Coxiella burnetii is a Gram-negative, obligate intracellular, small, pleomorphic bacterium belonging to the order Legionellales. This organism has a complicated life cycle with different morphological stadia. It may occur as a small-cell variant and a large-cell variant.
Pasteurella multocida, a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, non-spore-forming pleomorphic coccobacillus, is a commensal bacterium and part of the natural flora in the nasopharynx and upper respiratory tract of the cat (Freshwater, 2008;
Mycobacteria are intracellular, acid-fast, slow-growing bacilliform Gram-positive aerobic bacteria, highly resistant to environmental conditions (Greene and Gunn-Moore, 2006; Gunn-Moore, 2010). Mycobacterial taxonomy is complex, and many species can infect cats and cause different clinical presentations.
The pathogenic role of many Bartonella spp. as pathogens of humans and domestic animals is still unknown. Bartonella henselae is the causative agent of cat scratch disease (CSD) in humans, a self-limiting regional lymphadenopathy and cats are its main reservoir host.
Papillomaviruses cause cutaneous lesions in man and several animal species, including cats (Munday, 2010). In each host different papillomavirus types exist, which is also true for cats (Munday, 2008).
The natural hosts of ADV are domestic and wild suids. The clinical signs in these animals include respiratory, reproductive and neurological signs, depending on the age of the animal. Like other herpesviruses, ADV produces a latent infection in the host.
Feline herpesvirus (FHV), the agent of feline viral rhinotracheitis, is distributed worldwide. The virus belongs to the order Herpesvirales, family Herpesviridae, subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae, genus Varicellovirus.
Key points
Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) and the closely related canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2) can infect and cause severe disease in cats.
FPV is shed in high titers in the faeces and the very stable virions stay infectious in the environment for months.
FPV is very tolerant against many
Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV), a gammaretrovirus of domestic cats, is a member of the Orthoretrovirinae subfamily of retroviruses. It contains a protein core with single-stranded RNA protected by an envelope.
Feline calicivirus (FCV) is a highly contagious pathogen with a widespread distribution in the feline population.
Feline Coronavirus (FCoV) is the causative agent of the serious disease of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). FCoV is a large spherical enveloped virus with a single stranded RNA genome.Being an RNA virus, FCoV has a high level of genetic variation due to frequent errors during RNA replication.
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a retrovirus of the genus Lentivirus that is closely related to HIV; however, humans are not susceptible to the cat virus, which occurs in 5 subtypes (clades) worldwide.
Rabies is one of the oldest and most feared diseases of humans and animals – it was recognized in Egypt before 2300 BC and in ancient Greece, where it was well described by Aristotle.
Influenza is a highly contagious, acute infection, usually of the upper respiratory tract, and has been detected worldwide in many vertebrate hosts (Krammer et al., 2018). Feline respiratory diseases caused by influenza viruses appear to be rather rare and usually self-limiting;