Monitoring of emergence of the virulent type of feline coronavirus by quantitative PCR and molecular markers analysis

• Grant number: 14/01919-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: July 01, 2014
• End date: June 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Eduardo Brandão
• Grantee: Aline Santana da Hora
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) emerges after mutations of the enteric feline coronavirus (FECoV). Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a systemic, immunomediated and progressively fatal diseases of domestic and wild felines. The differentiation between FIPV and FECoV is a chief diagnostic aspect of Feline coronavirus (FCoV) infection. Currently, there's no quick test that can be applied to this end and PIF diagnosis is thus mainly clinical. Furthermore, phylogenetic studies are essential to provide information that can help to develop more accurate diagnostic and preventive methods. The aim of this study is do develop and apply a real time RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) targeted to the E gene mRNA of FCoV on cats with and without symptoms of enteritis and FIP from animal shelters in São Paulo, SP and Rio de Janeiro, RJ. This population will then be used to studies on the association amongst FCoV mRNA quantification, FIPV emergence and the clinical course in a longitudinal study. The shelters have been selected aiming a minimum of 112 animals to be sampled. From these animals, total blood and feces samples have already been collected. Samples showing an increasing trend of mRNA amount will be submitted to DNA sequencing of the S, M, N, E, 3 and 7 genes to monitor for FIPV, comparing these sequences amongst each other and those available on sequence databases. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

HORA, ALINE S.; MIYASHIRO, SAMANTHA I.; CASSIANO, FABIANA C.; BRANDAO, PAULO E.; RECHE-JUNIOR, ARCHIVALDO; PENA, HILDA F. J.. Report of the first clinical case of intestinal trichomoniasis caused by Tritrichomonas foetus in a cat with chronic diarrhoea in Brazil. BMC Veterinary Research, v. 13, APR 17 2017. (14/01919-0)