The coronavirus (CoV) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first isolated in December 2019, in Wuhan City, Hubei province, China.
The Morbillivirus genus (family Paramyxoviridae) includes important viral RNA pathogens of humans and animals including measles virus, canine distemper virus (CDV), rinderpest virus (globally eradicated in 2011), peste des petits ruminants viruses and viruses affecting marine mammals (Nambulli et al., 2016).
West Nile virus (WNV) is a zoonotic mosquito-borne virus belonging to the family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus in the Japanese encephalitis antigenic group. It is an enveloped virus containing a single molecule of linear, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA.
Cowpox virus has a wide host spectrum including man (zoonosis!) and occurs predominantly in small rodents.
Cats with rodent contact are at risk to become infected.
Skin lesions are predominantly found on the head and paws.
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.
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).
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 calicivirus (FCV) is a highly contagious pathogen with a widespread distribution in the feline population.
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;
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.
