Feline infectious pneumonia: A short literature review and a retrospectiveimmunohistological study on the involvement of Chlamydia spp. and distemper virus

A short literature review of feline infectious pneumonia, feline Chlamydia and Paramyxoviridae is presented. In a retrospective study (from 1987 to 19 96) 245 cases of feline pneumonia or conjunctivitis/rhinitis were investiga ted: histological diagnoses and aetiologies were compared; all lungs were e xamined immunohistologically for the occurrence of chlamydia and of canine distemper virus (CDV), but neither pathogen could be demonstrated. The resu lts confirm previous reports indicating that feline chlamydia is not a prim arily pulmonary pathogen and that CDV is not a causative agent of pneumonia in cats as it is in large felids. The review provides a summary of the known causes and pathology of infectio us pneumonia in cats (in order of frequency), although some remain aetiolog ically uncertain. It focuses on chlamydia and distemper virus - a recognize d and as yet unknown cause of feline pneumonia. The role and especially the frequency of chlamydia as a cause of feline pneumonia are controversial bu t distemper virus, known to cause pneumonia in dogs and large felids, has n ot as yet been demonstrated in cats. The aims of the retrospective study we re to determine the occurrence of chlamydia in 245 cases of feline pneumoni a or conjunctivitis/rhinitis, and to investigate the presence of CDV in the se lungs. (C) 2000 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.