Coronavirus Mutation Threatens Cats in Cyprus

According to analyses, thousands of cats in Cyprus have died since the beginning of the year from an increasingly aggressive animal coronavirus.

Great Britain also reported its first imported case in October. Is a wider spread of the mutated pathogen among cats imminent?

«Currently, no disease outbreaks have been described in Germany that would give rise to suspicion of this new virus variant,» said Katrin Hartmann of the Small Animal Clinic at Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Munich (D). However, the risk exists through the importation of infected cats. «The current cases in England are attributed to the import of cats from Cyprus.» Cyprus has a large population of stray cats that, much like southern European street dogs, are frequently brought to other parts of Europe and around the world.

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a disease in cats that is fatal if left untreated, as Hartmann explains. It is a long-known disease worldwide, caused by the feline coronavirus (FCoV). This pathogen also occurs in Germany, but usually causes no symptoms or at most mild diarrhoea. Rarely, a spontaneous mutation of the harmless virus occurs and the cat develops FIP.

According to the specialist veterinarian, initial non-specific symptoms such as loss of appetite and fever are followed by effusions, for example in the abdominal and thoracic cavities (fluid accumulations), as well as in some cases neurological symptoms and eye problems.

A mixture of FCoV and canine coronavirus

In Cyprus and Great Britain, however, a new virus — called feline coronavirus-23 (FCoV-23) — has now been detected. A research team led by Christine Tait-Burkard of the University of Edinburgh recently reported in a not-yet-independently-reviewed study. The virus is likely transmitted directly from cat to cat, spreads rapidly, and infects cats of all ages. Most importantly, however, cats with the new variant develop feline infectious peritonitis far more frequently based on current findings, as Hartmann stated.

Treatment with antiviral agents

In Cyprus, the use of the human coronavirus drug Molnupiravir for the treatment of cats with FIP was approved in August. The antiviral agent GS-441524 has also proven highly effective in studies, Hartmann explained. “So far, however, the aforementioned drug is not approved in Germany and cannot be legally obtained there.”

Only its use within the framework of studies has so far been possible. One is currently underway at the small animal clinic of LMU, for example. An early start to treatment is essential in order to still be able to cure the affected cat .