Detection of adenovirus hexon sequence in a cat by polymerase chain reaction (short communication)

Adenoviral nucleic acid was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in pharyngeal and rectal swab samples of a cat seropositive for adenovirus and suffering from transient hepatic failure. The samples were taken at a one- year interval, and both faecal samples as well as the second pharyngeal sam ple were positive in PCR performed with general adenovirus primers. The siz e of the amplified products corresponded to that of the positive control. T he identity of the amplicons was also confirmed by DNA sequencing. The 301 bp long hexon gene fragment was very similar to but distinguishable from th e corresponding hexon sequence of human adenovirus type 2. This result sugg ests the possibility of persistent carrier status and shedding of adenoviru s in cats.