“Vaccination doesn’t work”: mutated coronavirus kills thousands of cats

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Thousands of cats have died in Cyprus since the beginning of this year. The reason for this is an aggressive cat virus that is currently rampant on the island. Specifically, it is the mutated coronavirus called feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) that threatens the animals, reports “Focus”.

If the infection is left untreated, it often has fatal consequences for the affected cats. According to the report, sick animals die after an average of eight days. Beforehand, they are plagued by fever, loss of appetite and fluid in the abdominal and chest cavities.

Professor Katrin Hartmann, head of the small animal clinic at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), is concerned: “FIP is one of the worst diseases in cats.” LMU has been conducting research in this field for 25 years. The university recently collaborated with the University of Zurich (UZH) to develop a drug against the virus.

A virus has already been detected in Great Britain

But the virus is already circulating not only in Cyprus, but also elsewhere. This has already been proven in Great Britain. Concerns that FIP ​​could spread here too are growing.

In any case, the virus has not yet reached our neighbors. “There are currently no disease outbreaks described in Germany that would lead to suspicion of this new virus variant,” says Katrin Hartmann.

However, it cannot be ruled out that this could happen. However, in Germany – and therefore also Switzerland – there is indeed a detection risk due to the import of infected cats.

‘There is a vaccination, but it doesn’t work’

As the report goes on to say, feline coronavirus is a disease that has long been known worldwide. As Hartmann explains, in some cases the virus mutates. The cases in Cyprus and Britain appear to be a coronavirus, which is much more likely to lead to FIP.

According to Hartmann, the cases in Cyprus also indicate that the variant is passed directly from cat to cat. “That would be very problematic. Because so far only the ‘normal’, non-mutated coronaviruses have been transmitted, but not the variant that causes FIP. Until now, this has arisen individually in the cat.”

If this is actually the case, the situation could be particularly dangerous for animal shelters, cat farms, and multi-cat households. As the report goes on to say, not only treating but also preventing FIP is difficult. “There is a vaccination against FIP, but it does not work. Cats can become infected again and again,” says Hartmann.

University of Zurich starts major research with 770 cats

While medicines against the mutated coronavirus have not been approved in Germany, pharmacies in England and Australia are allowed to develop medicines themselves.

The results are promising: in a first series of tests with 18 cats, all animals were cured of FIP. In a second, 38 of the 40 survived. The LMU and UZH have also started a large study with 770 cats. (dzc)

Source: Blick