Recombinant feline parvovirus infection of immunized tigers in central China

摘要

Dear Editor, Feline panleukopenia is a contagious disease commonly characterized by severe hemorrhagic gastroenteritis and leukopenia, and it is associated with a high rate of morbidity in cats. 1 The disease is caused by feline panleukopenia virus (FPLV), which belongs to the feline parvovirus subgroup within the genus Parvovirus (family Parvoviridae ), together with canine parvovirus (CPV) and other parvoviruses of carnivores. 2 FPLV can infect domestic cats and other Felidae species, as well as species of the families Mustelidae, Procyonidae and Viverridae . 3 FPLV infections in large carnivores, such as captive tigers and lions, have been described based on clinical, serological and virological data. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 However, the number of FPLV strains isolated from the adaptive carnivore species and the molecular information associated with these isolates are very limited. Clinical and etiological investigations are very important for discovering the mechanism(s) underlying the genetic evolution and pathogenicity of FPLV.