phenylephrine-hydrochloride and Caliciviridae-Infections

Although vaccination against feline calicivirus (FCV) infection is widespread in Japan, FCV-associated diseases are still a significant problem in cats. Thus, we developed a new trivalent inactivated vaccine, Kyoto Biken Feline-CPR, consisting of three FCV strains; one was the production strain of our previous vaccine, and the others were screened from 60 field isolates obtained between 1998 and 2000 based on cross-neutralization tests. In this report, the three FCV strains used for development of the new vaccine were antigenically and genetically characterized. The three strains were antigenically quite different, as revealed by cross-neutralization tests. Alignment of deduced amino acid sequences of capsid regions A to E revealed that there were marked differences between the strains in both the N- and C ends of region E. Antisera against the three vaccine strains, our new vaccine and 2 commercial vaccines were then evaluated for neutralization with 58 field isolates collected between 2003 and 2006. Rat antisera against the three vaccine strains and a mixture of the 3 strains neutralized 49, 37, 42 and 55 isolates, respectively. Cat antiserum against the new vaccine neutralized 50 (86.2%) isolates, whereas the numbers neutralized by cat antisera against 2 commercial vaccines were 37 (63.8%) and 25 (43.1%). In conclusion, the immunological and genetic properties of the 3 vaccine strains investigated varied widely, and the Kyoto Biken Feline-CPR vaccine may have more potential to meet the antigenic diversity of FCVs spreading throughout Japan.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Caliciviridae Infections; Calicivirus, Feline; Capsid; Cat Diseases; Cats; Genetic Variation; Immune Sera; Kidney; Mouth; Neutralization Tests; Nose; Phylogeny; Rats; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Vaccines, Inactivated; Viral Vaccines

Different viruses belonging to the genus Vesivirus infect a broad range of animals, and cause gastroenteritis, vesicular skin lesions, hemorrhagic disease, respiratory diseases and other conditions. A recent report on Vesivirus viremia, as detected by PCR, in samples from patients with hepatitis of unknown etiology in the USA suggested a zoonotic potential for vesiviruses. These results have not been confirmed by another laboratory. In order to do so, a generic PCR assay on the RNA polymerase region was developed, and validated with RNA from 69 different Vesivirus species. Except SMSV serotype-8, all species tested were detected, including the ones that were suggested to be involved in zoonotic transmission in the USA (SMSV serotype-5). The generic Vesivirus assay was used on RNA extracted from serum samples from patients with hepatitis, stool samples from patients with gastroenteritis, throat-swab specimens of patients with rash illnesses, throat-swab and nose-swabs of patients with acute respiratory diseases, and cell cultures with cytopathologic effect from enterovirus surveillance in which no pathogen was found. None were found positive. In this study a generic Vesivirus assay was developed and it was concluded that vesiviruses are an unlikely cause of common illnesses in humans in the Netherlands.

Topics: Base Sequence; Caliciviridae Infections; DNA Primers; DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; Feces; Humans; Liver; Molecular Sequence Data; Netherlands; Nose; Pharynx; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Vesivirus; Viral Proteins

In order to describe the isolation rates of potential pathogens and to compare anatomic sampling site suitability, nasal and pharyngeal swabs were taken from cats with acute clinical upper respiratory disease in a humane society. DNA of feline herpesvirus-1 was amplified from 51 of 52 cats sampled, Mycoplasma species were cultured or detected by PCR in samples from 34 of 42 cats sampled for both culture and PCR, and Bordetella bronchiseptica was isolated from three of 59 cats sampled for aerobic culture. A single swab was positive for calicivirus and no swabs were positive for Chlamydophila felis. Mycoplasma, Pasteurella and Moraxella species were all isolated from at least one cat in which no primary pathogen was identified. With the exception of B. bronchiseptica, which was detected in nasal swabs only, recovery rates for all suspect primary pathogens were comparable between sampling sites.

Topics: Animals; Bordetella bronchiseptica; Bordetella Infections; Caliciviridae Infections; Calicivirus, Feline; Cat Diseases; Cats; Female; Herpesviridae; Herpesviridae Infections; Male; Mycoplasma; Mycoplasma Infections; Nose; Pharynx; Prevalence; Respiratory Tract Infections

Two SPF kittens were experimentally infected via the intranasal route with a strain of calicivirus originally isolated from sick lion suffering from vesicular disease. Fever, 40.3 degrees C and 40.7 degrees C, and vesicular formation in tongue and snout were reproduced in both kittens. The infected virus was recovered from nasal, oral and rectal swabs. A longer duration of virus recovery was proved with oral swab samples taken from 1 to 10 and 12 days post infection. This suggests that tongue and oral tissues are the main tissues for virus multiplication.

Topics: Administration, Intranasal; Age Factors; Animals; Antibodies, Viral; Antibody Specificity; Caliciviridae; Caliciviridae Infections; Cat Diseases; Cats; Fever; Lions; Nose; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; Time Factors; Tongue

In December 1992, 17 African lions and 7 Siberian tigers in a Safari park in Japan became sick with characteristic clinical symptoms of acute vesicular formations on tongue and snout. The disease was highly contagious since all of these animals showed similar symptoms within two days after the onset of the first case. Swabs were taken from affected animals in rubbing tongues, snouts and some from rectums. Cytopathic viruses were isolated on CRFK cell culture by virological tests. The physicochemical property of a representative virus strain, named Arthur/L, isolated from a male lion was identified as a member of Caliciviridae. However, seroneutralization test indicated that this virus strain was antigenically distinct from Japanese isolates of feline caliciviruses used for comparison. Viral capsid proteins of the present isolate, Arthur/L, and of a feline calicivirus, strain FC7, were compared in an electrophoresis in SDS-PAGE gel. The major viral capsid polypeptide of them were proved to be significantly different in molecular weight. The polypeptide of FC7 was estimated to be ca. 63 KDa whereas that of Arthur/L consisted of 2 components of ca. 65 and 62 KDa. The viral proteins of these two strains were also proved to be distinct by an immunoblotting test.

Topics: Animals; Caliciviridae; Caliciviridae Infections; Calicivirus, Feline; Capsid; Cats; Cells, Cultured; DNA, Viral; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Lions; Male; Neutralization Tests; Nose; Rectum; Tongue