Feline morbillivirus were recently detected in cats from Hong Kong and Japan. Morbilliviruses belong to Paromyoxviridae family, which are known to cause disease in many animal species. Diseases caused by species specific morbilliviruses include measles (in humans), canine distemper (in dogs, coyotes, wolves, and seals), rinderpest (in cattle), and peste-des-petits-ruminants (in goats and sheep), and now possibly chronic kidney disease (in cats.).
In this paper, researchers from University of Leipzig, Germany and collaborators describe the discovery of several new feline paromyxoviruses by detecting viral RNA in urine samples from cats suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD). One-hundred and twenty urine samples from cats with urinary tract disease (disease group) and 86 samples from cats without urinary tract disease (control group) were included in the study. Eight viral RNA sequences were detected in the kidney disease group. In contrast, none of the kidney disease free group was positive for paramyxoviral RNA. Further analyses revealed that these sequences represent at least two diverse paramyxoviral species, one being similar to the feline morbillivirus previously identified in Hong Kong and Japan, and a second which did not fit to any currently known paramyxoviruses.
The researchers concluded that further research is needed to clarify whether paramyxoviral infections are causatively involved in feline chronic kidney disease or just benefit from inflamed tissues of the urinary tract as the basis for their infection. (GO)
See also:
Furuya T, Sassa Y, et al. Existence of feline morbillivirus infection in Japanese cat populations. Arch Virol. 2014 Feb;159(2):371-3. (Free Text Article)