Detection of Feline Coronavirus in Feline Effusions by Immunofluorescence Staining and Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction.

Feline coronavirus (FCoV), the pathogen for feline infectious peritonitis, is a lethal infectious agent that can cause effusions in the pleural and abdominal cavities in domestic cats. To study the epidemiology of FCoV in Taiwan, 81 FIP-suspected sick cats with effusive specimens were recruited to test for FCoV infection using immunofluorescence staining and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction as detection methods, and viral RNAs were recovered from the specimens to conduct genotyping and phylogenetic analysis based on the spike (S) protein gene. The results revealed that a total of 47 (47/81, 58%) of the sick cats were positive for FCoV in the effusion samples, of which 39 were successfully sequenced and comprised of 21 type I strains, 9 type II strains, and 9 co-infections. The signalment analysis of these sick cats revealed that only the sex of cats showed a significant association (odds ratio = 2.74, 95% confidence interval = 1.06-7.07, p = 0.03) with the infection of FCoV, while age and breed showed no association. FCoV-positive cats demonstrated a significantly lower albumin to globulin ratio than negative individuals (p = 0.0004). The partial S gene-based phylogenetic analysis revealed that the type I strains demonstrated genetic diversity forming several clades, while the type II strains were more conserved. This study demonstrates the latest epidemiological status of FCoV infection in the northern part of Taiwan among sick cats and presents comparisons of Taiwan and other countries.

The Ongoing Global COVID-19 Pandemic and Related Vaccines

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China in late 2019 through April 2021, 140 million people have been infected and 3 million people have died from the pandemic worldwide. In the United States, more than 30 million people have been tested positively which caused more than 560,000 death. Two dozen countries have reported more than one million confirmed cases within their borders. Nowadays, approximately 300 million vaccine doses have been administered in the U.S. About 150 million Americans have received at least one dose. The 9.33-million-people Israel enjoys the highest rate of COVID-19 vaccination in the world after nearly 9% of her population infected and more than 6,400 died. This can be contributed to its limited population and enormous influence in Europe and America. The United States enacted Vaccine Act as early as 1813. The federal and state governments have many kinds of regulations of vaccine medicine injury compensation. The relevant provisions may be found in different laws, including Title 42 of the U.S. Code: The Public Health and Welfare.