Feline Coronavirus and Feline Infectious Peritonitis

ABSTRACT

While feline coronaviruses (FCoV) are ubiquitous in cat populations, the incidence of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) remains low;nonetheless, the disease can be devastating for cat owners and shelter personnel. FIP is often challenging to diagnose, affects highly adoptable kittens and young cats, and creates prognostic uncertainty for healthy siblings of affected cats. FCoV is an enteric pathogen of cats that is often endemic in shelters and other multi-cat environments. Infection with FCoV generally occurs through fecal-oronasal transmission, most commonly through shared litterboxes contaminated with the virus. In some cases, more virulent strains of FCoV result in more severe FECV-related disease or an increased likelihood of mutation to FIPV. In others, the stress or immune status of the host plays a role in both decreased immune response and increased levels of shedding. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.