Cavicchio L, Campalto M, Carrino M, Lucchese L, Ce. Influenza in feral cat populations: insights from a study in North-East Italy. Front. Vet. Sci. 11:1439354
Influenza A virus (IAV) can cause high morbidity and mortality in domestic and wild avian species and it is able to infect mammals as well. IAV in cats is sporadic and self-limiting but the recent findings of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) with genetic signatures of mammalian adaptation, in domestic cats, has raised new concerns about the potential role of cats in the virus ecology. The present study aimed to investigate the circulation of IAV in companion animals´ shelters in North-eastern Italy. All samples were collected from feral cats living in feline colonies that were hosted in the companion animals´ shelters for the requisite period to administer the veterinary treatments. Between 2021 and 2022, 389 oropharyngeal swabs and 279 sera were collected. All swabs tested negative for IAV and the only one ELISA positive serum sample resulted H5 positive by HI test with a titer of 1:80. Despite the sporadic occurrence of influenza in cats, continuous monitoring is crucial due to the evolving zoonotic nature of the virus.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- Engineered Bacillus subtilis to deliver dsRNA via extracellular vesicles against the H9N2 avian influenza virus 5 hours ago
- [preprint]Spatiotemporal dynamics and ecological risk factors of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) in Canadian wildlife: A One Health surveillance analysis 5 hours ago
- Epidemiological and Virological Characteristics of H9N2 Avian Influenza Virus in Jiangsu Province, China, 2024 16 hours ago
- Innate Pathway Selection Modulates Antibody and T-Cell Responses to Mosaic Influenza Nucleoprotein in Cattle 2 days ago
- Game Over for the Baseline: Influenza Hospitalization Patterns Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic (FluSurv-NET, 2009–2025) 2 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]


