Antigenicity

  • One serotype

Hosts

  • Cats
  • Mink
  • Raccoons
  • Pandas

Pathogenesis

  • Also known as Feline Infectious Enteritis and Feline Panleukopenia
  • Often fatal
  • Pyrexia, severe enteritis (often bloody), dehydration, leukopenia, anemia
  • Kittens <2 weeks show cerebellar hypoplasia
  • Kittens more susceptible than cats
  • Oral infection
  • Initial replication in pharyngeal lymphoid tissue
  • Viremia
  • Virus targets rapidly dividing cells: lymph nodes, bone marrow, crypts of small intestine

Epidemiology

  • Infection by direct contact and fomites
  • Subclinical infections occur
  • Virus excretion can be persistent
  • Endemic worldwide

Diagnosis

  • Clinical signs
  • Hematology: leukopenia
  • Can be confirmed by haemagglutination (HA) or ELISA using feces

Control

  • Inactivated vaccines are available and essential for boarding
  • Administered parenterally post-weaning to induce a systemic immune response to neutralize viremia
  • Annual booster