Article

Detection of feline coronaviruses by culture and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction of blood samples from healthy cats and cats with clinical feline infectious peritonitis.

Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, UK.
Veterinary Microbiology (impact factor: 3.33). 08/1998; 62(3):193-205. DOI:10.1016/S0378-1135(98)00210-7 pp.193-205
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT A reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for the detection of the feline coronavirus (FCoV) genome and a co-cultivation method for the isolation of field strains of FCoV are described. Using the RT-PCR assay to assess blood samples from cats with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) (n = 47) and healthy cats from households with endemic FCoV (n = 69) it was shown that approximately 80% of the cats were viraemic, irrespective of their health status. It was also shown that, over a 12-month period, a similar percentage of healthy cats remained viraemic, and that the presence of viraemia did not appear to predispose the cats to the development of FIP. The co-cultivation system proved to be a suitable method for the culture of field strains of FCoV from blood samples, so long as the cultures were maintained for at least 4 weeks. Using this system, followed by the RT-PCR, viraemia was detected as frequently as by RT-PCR on RNA extracted directly from peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

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Data provided are for informational purposes only. Although carefully collected, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The impact factor represents a rough estimation of the journal's impact factor and does not reflect the actual current impact factor. Publisher conditions are provided by RoMEO. Differing provisions from the publisher's actual policy or licence agreement may be applicable.

Keywords

12-month period
 
4 weeks
 
blood samples
 
cats
 
co-cultivation method
 
co-cultivation system
 
endemic FCoV
 
FCoV
 
feline infectious peritonitis
 
field strains
 
FIP
 
healthy cats
 
households
 
peripheral blood mononuclear cells
 
reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction
 
RNA
 
RT-PCR assay
 
similar percentage
 
suitable method
 
viraemia
 

D A Gunn-Moore