Mouse Anti-FCoV monoclonal antibody, clone IN604

Feline coronavirus (FCoV) is divided into two types I and II, based on their growth in vitro and antigenicity. In this study, virus neutralization (VN) test was applied for type differentiation of FCoV infections. Sera of cats which were clinically and serologically diagnosed as feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) possessed significantly higher VN titers to type I FCoV, and sera from cats experimentally infected with FIPV type II had high VN titers to type II but not type I viruses. A total of 79 cat sera collected in the years between 2004 and 2005 were examined to evaluate seroprevalence by the VN test, showing the following results: (1) 50 cats (63.3%) were sero-positive to FCoV; (2) of the 50 FCoV positive cat serum samples, 49 (98%) showed significantly higher titers to type I virus and only one (2%) for type II virus. These results indicate that the VN test described here can be used for serological differentiation of FCoV infections of cats, and that FCoV type I is a dominant type in recent years of Japan. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Two thousand, two hundred and seven cats from 14 shelters of a major UK cat charity were blood tested for feline coronavirus (FCoV) antibodies. Data was collated on breed, sex, age, number of cats at original location, outdoor access, health status, and time spent in the shelter prior to sampling (range 0 to 4 years). Some cats were also tested for feline leukaemia virus antigen, feline immunodeficiency virus, and Toxoplasma gondii antibodies. The effect of these variables on FCoV seropositivity was explored by multivariable Logistic regression. FCoV seropositivity in cats that had spent 5 days or less in a shelter at sampling was significantly associated with a mutti-cat origin, cats aged 3 years or less, and Persian breed. Whether pet, stray or feral, health status, indoor/outdoor access, and sex had no significant effect. Overall FCoV seropositivity was associated with time spent in a shelter but this association was not linear. Cats that had spent more than 60 days in a shelter were over five times as likely to be seropositive. This may be the result of a change in husbandry from solitary to communal housing for cats remaining in shelters long term. Rescue of cats for Less than 60 days was not associated with a significant increasing risk of seropositivity. Significant variation existed in sero-positivity between individual shelters overall and in cats rescued for less than 5 days. These findings may reflect inter-shelter variation in cat husbandry and variation in seropositivity of shelter intake respectively. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of ESFM and AAFP.