VIRAL-INFECTIONS OF THE FELINE URINARY-TRACT

The exact cause of hematuria, dysuria, and urethral obstruction remain s unknown in a large percentage of naturally occurring cases of feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD). One attractive hypothesis implic ates viruses as the cause of some idiopathic forms of FLUTD; supportin g this hypothesis is the fact that a gamma herpesvirus, a calicivirus, and a retrovirus have been isolated from urine and tissues obtained f rom cats with this type of disease. Although the clinical course and l aboratory findings of cats with idiopathic FLUTD are suggestive of an infectious cause, the question of whether viruses have a pathologic ro le in some forms of naturally acquired FLUTDs has not been completely answered.