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Discovery and current research status of feline morbillivirus
Tetsuya Furuya1, Shigeru Morikawa2, Takayuki Miyazawa3
1Laboratory of Veterinary Microbiology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.
Abstract:
Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) is an emerging virus that was first discovered in Hong Kong in 2012. FeMV is epidemiologically associated with kidney and other lower urinary tract diseases in cats. Phylogenetic analysis of its genome sequence indicates that FeMV is the most closely related to the members of genus morbillivirus, although FeMV is relatively distant in the phylogenetic analysis, and its target tissues and pathogenicity are different from the other members of the genus. The origin and routes of dissemination of FeMV are not clear since genetic types are not always correlated to the geographical distribution of the isolates. Since the discovery of the virus, several reports showed the epidemiological association of FeMV infection with kidney and lower urinary tract diseases in cats. However, the pathogenicity of FeMV is not clear yet due to paucity of the isolated virus strains and chronic nature of the subjected diseases. Diagnosis of FeMV infection has been performed using both nucleic acid and serological methods. However, there are no standard diagnostic methods to detect antibodies against FeMV, which will be useful to study epidemiology and pathogenicity of FeMV. Besides FeMV is an interesting subject as an additional member to the morbilliviruses possessing unusual characteristics comparing to the other morbilliviruses, further studies of FeMV is important in the veterinary field since it may lead to new therapies or prevention of chronic kidney diseases of cats.
Insights
Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) is an emerging virus linked to feline kidney disease. Further research is crucial for understanding its unusual characteristics and developing diagnostic and prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Virology
- Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Feline Pathology
Background:
- Feline morbillivirus (FeMV), discovered in 2012, is an emerging virus associated with kidney and lower urinary tract diseases in cats.
- Phylogenetic analysis places FeMV within the Morbillivirus genus, but it exhibits distinct target tissues and pathogenicity compared to related viruses.
- The origin, dissemination routes, and full pathogenicity of FeMV remain unclear due to limited viral strains and the chronic nature of associated diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current understanding of Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) in veterinary medicine.
- To highlight the epidemiological associations and diagnostic challenges of FeMV infections.
- To emphasize the need for further research into FeMV's unique characteristics and clinical impact.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on FeMV discovery, genetic analysis, and epidemiological studies.
- Analysis of phylogenetic relationships between FeMV and other morbilliviruses.
- Discussion of current diagnostic approaches (nucleic acid and serological) and their limitations.
Main Results:
- FeMV is epidemiologically linked to feline kidney and lower urinary tract diseases.
- Phylogenetic analysis shows FeMV is related to, yet distinct from, other morbilliviruses.
- Current diagnostic methods lack standardization for antibody detection, hindering epidemiological and pathogenicity studies.
Conclusions:
- FeMV presents unusual characteristics within the morbillivirus family, necessitating further investigation.
- Standardized diagnostic tools are required to accurately assess FeMV's epidemiology and pathogenicity.
- Continued research on FeMV is vital for potential advancements in treating and preventing chronic kidney diseases in cats.
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