THE ISOLATION OF PICORNAVIRUSES FROM CATS WITH RESPIRATORY DISEASE

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Abstract
Summary: One hundred and sixty samples including nasal swabs, conjunctival swabs, lung tissue, swabs of tonsil and an oral swab were taken from 59 cats suffering from respiratory disease. Thirty‐nine of the specimens (from 23 cats) contained agents that produced a rapid cytopathic effect in cultures of feline kidney cells. Two of the isolates were studied in detail, and they were found to be resistant to lipid solvents, stable at pH 5 but not at pH 3, able to pass through a 50 mμ filter and not stabilized to inactivation at 50°C in the presence of molar concentrations of MgCl2. Electron microscopy of negatively stained preparations revealed particles about 45 mμ in diameter that lacked an outer envelope. These properties indicate that the agents are feline picornaviruses.Antibodies to one of the isolates were present in 14 of 56 cat serums. Four kittens inoculated with picornaviruses developed upper respiratory tract disease, but 3 died with signs of enteritis possibly caused by concurrent infection with pan‐leucopenia virus. Picornaviruses were isolated from nasal swabs from 3 of these kittens, and from lung and spleen of the other.

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