Molecular epidemiological study of infections caused by Feline Herpesvirus Type 1 (HVF-1) in felines (Felis catus) in the Metropolitan Region of Belém, State of Pará.
Veterinary Medicine; Feline Medicine; Veterinary Pathology; conventional PCR; Feline Infectious Diseases
The Feline Herpesvirus 1 (HVF-1), is considered one of the main agents related to the Feline Respiratory Complex (FRC), involving the upper respiratory tract, it can cause ocular and oro-nasal infectious diseases, as well as systemic diseases such as pneumonia, generalized edema, mainly affects immunosuppressed, debilitated patients and puppies (SILVA, 2017). In the case of diseases related to the Feline Respiratory Complex, the use of molecular diagnostic techniques has contributed effectively to the identification of pathogens (SJODAHL-ESSÉN et al., 2008). Within the context of feline medicine, carrying out research aimed at the knowledge of the aforementioned diseases within the State of Pará, particularly in relation to the direct presence of the agents in cat populations, can help in an important way in the definition of HVF-1 as a of the major causes of infections of the Respiratory Complex in domestic cats in the region. The present study aims to diagnose the infection caused by HVF-1 in domestic cats (felis catus) treated at HOVET - UFRA, for this, we used a descriptive study with a qualitative approach through molecular diagnosis. Thirty-five (35) domestic felines (Felis catus) of both sexes, with clinical signs of respiratory and ocular involvement or asymptomatic, of different ages, of mixed breed - SRD, vaccinated or not, were studied. A total of samples were collected from 35 felines, 10 animals living in an autonomous and residential temporary home, 15 free-living animals in a situation of abandonment and 10 animals with legal guardians and domiciled through the collection of samples of 35 swabs of oropharyngeal mucosa, 35 conjunctival swabs (lower part of the bilateral palpebral conjunctiva) and 35 peripheral blood samples. In this study, the conventional PCR technique (c-PCR) was used as the diagnostic method to identify the presence of the HVF-1 virus in domestic cats with or without clinical signs of the Feline Respiratory Complex and the prevalence that we identified by analyzing the total of all samples collected was 2.8% (3/105), thus, a positive sample for conjunctival swab swab technique, a positive sample for oropharyngeal swab technique and a positive sample for blood collection. When analyzing the statistics of the results, some correlations were found that were already expected, such as the prevalence of positive samples in animals considered puppies, without previous and updated vaccines, presenting clinical signs of the Feline Respiratory Complex and in animals that live in a temporary home in circumstances of agglomeration and overpopulation. With this, it was found that the use of the c-PCR technique for HVF-1 as a diagnostic method seems to constitute a way to confirm the presence of the virus and even with the percentages below expectations, we know that the same can be the initial cause of the problem. faced by patients with feline rhinotracheitis, which was later perpetuated by the organism itself.