Sir,
I read the recent publication on feline coronavirus (FCoV) by Sharif et al1 with great interest. Sharif et al reached the conclusion that ‘The overall prevalence of FCoV infection was 84%’ in Malaysia. 1 Focusing on another Asian country, the reported prevalence in Turkey was about 60%. 2 The data are interesting; the more common infection rate might be due to the tropical nature of Malaysia. However, the data might have low clinical implications due to the small numbers of subjects and differences in diagnostic techniques. Nevertheless, the high prevalence also implies risk for future possible zoonosis of the coronavirus to human beings. 3
References
- 1.Sharif S., Arshad S.S., Hair-Bejo M., Omar A.R., Zeenathul N.A., Hafidz M.A. Prevalence of feline coronavirus in two cat populations in Malaysia, J Feline Med Surg, 2009. Oct 7, [Epub ahead of print] [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed]
- 2.Pratelli A., Yesilbag K., Siniscalchi M., Yalçm E., Yilmaz Z. Prevalence of feline coronavirus antibodies in cats in Bursa province, Turkey, by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, J Feline Med Surg 11, 2009, 881–884. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 3.Bastone P., Truyen U., Löchelt M. Potential of zoonotic transmission of non-primate foamy viruses to humans, J Vet Med B Infect Dis Vet Public Health 50, 2003, 417–423. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]