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Feline herpesvirus 1

I. General Information

1. NCBI Taxonomy ID:

2. Disease:

Feline viral rhinotracheitis

3. Introduction

Feline herpesvirus (FHV-1; felid herpesvirus 1 (FeHV-1)) is an alphaherpesvirus of cats closely related to canine herpesvirus-1 and phocine herpesvirus-1. Like other herpesviruses, FeHV-1 contains double-stranded DNA and has a glycoprotein-lipid envelope. It is therefore relatively fragile in the external environment and is highly susceptible to the effects of common disinfectants. There is only one serotype of the virus and it is relatively homogenous genetically. FeHV-1 is an important cause of acute upper respiratory tract and ocular disease in cats. In addition, its role in more chronic ocular disease and skin lesions is increasingly being recognised. Epidemiologically, FeHV-1 behaves as a typical alphaherpesvirus whereby clinically recovered cats become latently infected carriers which undergo periodic episodes of virus reactivation, particularly after a stress. The primary site of latency is the trigeminal ganglion. Conventional inactivated and modified-live vaccines are available and protect reasonably well against disease but not infection, although viral shedding may be reduced. FeHV-1 is shed in ocular, nasal, and oral secretions and transmission is largely by direct contact with an infected cat. Acutely infected animals are clearly one of the most
important sources of virus, but latently infected carrier cats may also shed virus and infect susceptible cats (Gaskell et al., 2007).

4. Microbial Pathogenesis

The natural routes of infection for FeHV-1 are via the nasal, oral, and conjunctival mucous membranes, though experimentally other routes have been investigated. Following infection, virus replication in the acute phase takes place predominantly in the mucosae of the nasal septum, turbinates, nasopharynx, and tonsils; other tissues including conjunctivae, mandibular lymph nodes and upper trachea are also often involved (Gaskell et al., 2007).

5. Host Ranges and Animal Models

As well as domestic cats, FeHV-1 infects several other members of the Felidae (Gaskell et al., 2007).

6. Host Protective Immunity

Immunity to FeHV-1 has generally been measured by serum virus neutralizing (VN) antibody levels, although as for other alphaherpesviruses, cell-mediated immunity is likely to be a better reflection of immune status (Gaskell et al., 2007).

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