Skip to main content
PMC home page
Elsevier - PMC COVID-19 Collection logoLink to Elsevier - PMC COVID-19 Collection
. 2007 Sep 15;119(1):1–14. doi: 10.1016/S0021-9975(98)80067-4

Fatal enteritis associated with coronavirus infection in cats

A Kipar 1, J Kremendahl 1, DD Addie *, W Leukert 1, CK Grant †, M Reinacher 1
PMCID: PMC7130287  PMID: 9717123

Abstract

This report describes five cases of naturally occurring feline coronavirus enteritis. The affected animals, aged 2 months to 7 years, had a clinical history of intestinal symptoms, including diarrhoea or vomiting, or both. They exhibited variable histological changes in the epithelium of the small intestine, ranging from degeneration of single cells and detachment of groups of cells from the villous tips to regenerative processes of the crypt epithelia. Post-mortem diagnosis was based on the immunohistochemical demonstration of coronavirus antigen within intestinal epithelial cells and on the electron microscopical demonstration of coronavirus particles in the faeces. In addition, one animal was immunohistochemically positive for antigens of feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) and exhibited intestinal changes consistent with FeLV-associated enteritis. Two cats were tested serologically for feline immunodeficiency antibodies, with negative results. The findings indicate that natural coronavirus infection is a potential cause of severe enteritis in juvenile and adult cats.

References

  1. Addie D.D., Jarrett O. A study of naturally occurring feline coronavirus infections in kittens. Veterinary Record. 1992;130:133–137. doi: 10.1136/vr.130.7.133. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Addie D.D., Toth S., Herrewegh A., Jarrett O. Feline coronavirus in the intestinal contents of cats with feline infectious peritonitis. Veterinary Record. 1996;139:522–523. doi: 10.1136/vr.139.21.522. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Arens M., Krauss H. Detection of parvovirus in dogs with acute gastroenteritis. Berliner Münchner Tierärztliche Wochenschrift. 1980;93:156–157. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dea S., Roy R.S., Elazhary M.A.S.Y. Coronavirus-like particles in the feces of a cat with diarrhea. Canadian Veterinary Journal. 1982;23:153–155. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Domingo M., Einig C., Eigenbrodt E., Reinacher M. Immunohistological demonstration of pyruvate kinase isoenzyme type L in rat with monoclonal antibodies. Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry. 1992;40:665–673. doi: 10.1177/40.5.1374093. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Evermann J.F., McKeirnan A.J., Ott R.L. Perspectives on the epizootiology of feline enteric coronavirus and the pathogenesis of feline infectious peritonitis. Veterinary Microbiology. 1991;28:243–255. doi: 10.1016/0378-1135(91)90079-U. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fiscus S.A., Teramoto Y.A. Antigenic comparison of feline coronavirus isolates: evidence for markedly different peplomer glycoproteins. Journal of Virology. 1987;61:2607–2613. doi: 10.1128/jvi.61.8.2607-2613.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fiscus S.A., Teramoto Y.A. Functional differences in the peplomer glycoproteins of feline coronavirus isolates. Journal of Virology. 1987;61:2655–2657. doi: 10.1128/jvi.61.8.2655-2657.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hayashi T., Watabe Y., Nakayama H., Fujiwara K. Enteritis due to feline infectious peritonitis virus. Japanese Journal of Veterinary Science. 1982;44:97–106. doi: 10.1292/jvms1939.44.97. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Herrewegh A.A.P.M., de Groot R.J., Cepica A., Egberink H.F., Horzinek M.C., Rottier P.J.M. Detection of feline coronavirus RNA in feces, tissues, and body fluids of naturally infected cats by reverse transcriptase PCR. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 1995;33:684–689. doi: 10.1128/jcm.33.3.684-689.1995. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Herrewegh A.A.P.M., Vennema H., Horzinek M.C., Rottier P.J.M., de Groot R.J. The molecular genetics of feline coronaviruses: comparative sequence analysis of the ORF7a/7b transcription unit of different biotypes. Virology. 1995;212:622–631. doi: 10.1006/viro.1995.1520. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Hohdatsu T., Okada S., Koyama H. Characterization of monoclonal antibodies against feline infectious peritonitis virus type II and antigenic relationship between feline, porcine, and canine coronaviruses. Archives of Virology. 1991;117:85–95. doi: 10.1007/BF01310494. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Hohdatsu T., Yamada H., Ishizuka Y., Koyama H. Enhancement and neutralization of feline infectious peritonitis virus infection in feline macrophages by neutralizing monoclonal antibodies recognizing different epitopes. Microbiological Immunology. 1993;37:499–504. doi: 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1993.tb03242.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Horzinek M.C., Herrewegh A., de Groot R.J. Perspectives on feline coronavirus evolution. Feline Practice. 1995;23:34–39. [Google Scholar]
  15. Hoshino Y., Scott F.W. Coronavirus-like particles in the faeces of normal cats. Archives of Virology. 1980;63:147–152. doi: 10.1007/BF01320772. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Hoshino Y., Scott F.W. Immunofluorescent and electron microscopic studies of feline small intestinal organ cultures infected with feline infectious peritonitis virus. American Journal of Veterinary Research. 1980;41:672–681. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Kovacevic S., Kipar A., Kremendahl J., Teebken-Schuler D., Grant C.K., Reinacher M. Immunohistochemical diagnosis of feline leukemia virus infection in formalin-fixed tissue. European Journal of Veterinary Pathology. 1997;3:13–19. [Google Scholar]
  18. Kremendahl J., Kipar A., Reinacher M. Examinations on the differential expression of viral proteins gp70, p27, and p15(E) in spontaneous FeLV-associated enteritis. European Journal of Veterinary Pathology. 1996;2:21. Suppl. [Google Scholar]
  19. McKeirnan A.J., Evermann J.F., Hargis A., Miller L.M., Ott R. Isolation of feline coronaviruses from cats with disease manifestations. Feline Practice. 1981;11:16–20. [Google Scholar]
  20. Pedersen N.C. Feline infectious peritonitis and feline enteric coronavirus infections. Part 1: Feline enteric coronaviruses. Feline Practice. 1983;13:13–18. [Google Scholar]
  21. Pedersen N.C. Coronavirus diseases (coronavirus enteritis, feline infectious peritonitis) In: Holzworth J., editor. Diseases of the Cat. W. B. Saunders; 1987. pp. 193–214. [Google Scholar]
  22. Pedersen N.C. Virologic and immunologic aspects of feline infectious peritonitis virus infection. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. 1987;218:529–550. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4684-1280-2_69. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Pedersen N.C. An overview of feline enteric coronavirus and infectious peritonitis virus infections. Feline Practice. 1995;23:7–20. [Google Scholar]
  24. Pedersen N.C., Floyd K. Experimental studies with three new strains of feline infectious peritonitis virus: FIPV-UCD2, FIPV-UCD3, and FIPV-UCD4. Compendium of Continuing Education. 1985;7:1001–1011. [Google Scholar]
  25. Pedersen N.C., Boyle J.F., Floyd K. Infection studies in kittens, using feline infectious peritonitis virus propagated in cell culture. American Journal of Veterinary Research. 1981;42:363–367. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Pedersen N.C., Boyle J.F., Floyd K., Fudge A., Barker J. An enteric coronavirus infection of cats and its relationship to feline infectious peritonitis. American Journal of Veterinary Research. 1981;42:368–377. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Pedersen N.C., Evermann J.F., McKeirnan A.J., Ott R.L. Pathogenicity studies of feline coronavirus isolates 79–1146 and 79–1683. American Journal of Veterinary Research. 1984;45:2580–2585. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Poland A.M., Vennema H., Foley J.E., Pedersen N.C. Two related strains of feline infectious peritonitis virus isolated from immunocompromised cats infected with a feline enteric coronavirus. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 1996;34:3180–3184. doi: 10.1128/jcm.34.12.3180-3184.1996. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Reinacher M. Feline leukemia virus-associated enteritis — a condition with features of feline panleukopenia. Veterinary Pathology. 1987;24:1–4. doi: 10.1177/030098588702400101. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Sternberger L., Hardy P., Cuculis J., Meyer H. The unlabelled antibodyenzyme method of immunohistochemistry. Preparation and properties of soluble antigen-antibody-complex (horseradish peroxidase-antihorseradish-peroxidase) and its use in identification of spirochetes. Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry. 1971;18:315–333. doi: 10.1177/18.5.315. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Stoddart M.E., Gaskell R.M., Harbour D.A., Pearson G.R. The sites of early viral replication in feline infectious peritonitis. Veterinary Microbiology. 1988;18:259–271. doi: 10.1016/0378-1135(88)90092-2. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Tammer R., Evensen O., Lutz H., Reinacher M. Immunohistological demonstration of feline infectious peritonitis virus antigen in paraffin-embedded tissues using feline ascites or murine monoclonal antibodies. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology. 1995;49:177–182. doi: 10.1016/0165-2427(95)05459-J. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Vennema H., Poland A., Floyd Hawkins K., Pedersen N.C. A comparison of the genomes of FECVs and FIPVs and what they tell us about the relationships between feline coronaviruses and their evolution. Feline Practice. 1995;23:40–44. [Google Scholar]
  34. Vieler E., Herbst W. Detection of viruses in faeces of diarrhoeic dogs by electron microscopy. Tierärztliche Praxis. 1995;23:66–69. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Comparative Pathology are provided here courtesy of Elsevier

RESOURCES