Feline morbillivirus infection associated with fatal encephalitis in a Bengal cat

The genus Morbillivirus of the family Paramyxoviridae belongs to viruses that are highly contagious to humans and animals, such as canine distemper virus and measles virus. Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) is a novel morbillivirus discovered in 2012 in stray cats in Hong Kong and China, and FeMV has been detected in domestic cats all over the world. The authors investigated the possible neurotoxicity of FeMV to cats and reported a case of a cat with fatal encephalitis associated with FeMV infection. The brain was removed from a 2-month-old Bengal cat that showed neurological symptoms, and inclusion bodies were observed within the neurons on histopathological examination. They extracted total RNA from brain samples and performed sequencing analysis and the sequence of FeMV Locarno/CH2011 was determined. In addition, in situ hybridization (ISH) was used to detect FeMV RNA in the somatic cells of neurons. These results contribute to the increased recognition of FeMV as a neurotropic pathogen in cats.
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