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No clue if this is related to the novel animal coronavirus in humans (http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=192872), but felines are susceptible to coronaviruses, and the SARS virus was detected in cats (among other animals) following the 2003 outbreak in China.
Published Date: 2012-09-26 08:14:02
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed disease, feline - Saudi Arabia: necrotizing stomatitis, RFI
Archive Number: 20120926.1309899
UNDIAGNOSED DISEASE, FELINE - SAUDI ARABIA: NECROTIZING STOMATITIS, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
************************************************** *****************************************
A ProMED-mail post
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
Date: Mon 24 Sep 2012
From: Lana Dunn [edited]
Feline necrotizing stomatitis? Help please
------------------------------------------
I'm a NZ/UK vet now working with street cats in Riyadh, [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA]. Most of the work is trap-neuter-return and rescue-rehab-adoption (http://www.OpenPaws.org). Not uncommonly we see a nasty stomatitis/gingivitis syndrome, which I have not seen before coming out to this region. I hope you can shed some light on the situation or at least guide me to investigate it correctly.
The affected cats are young (usually less than 1 year). The initial sign is a very strong stench of rotting flesh -- emanating from the mouth. The affected cats are emaciated -- to cachectic -- the earlier cases appear hungry/thirsty but will not use the mouth to ingest anything. Dark stained drooling and a puffy appearance to the cheeks is also usually seen.
The buccal and dental mucosa is covered in a thick purulent exudate and the gingival tissue is necrotic. The oral mucosa appears to "peel away" from the teeth and bone; initial signs emerge on the buccal aspect of mid mandibular region and usually spread caudally along the mandibular periodontal margins before extending to the maxillary teeth. Unlike the typical FGS [feline gingivitis/stomatitis], inflammation in the palatoglossal folds in often absent and the condition is more necrotizing in appearance than inflammatory -- like "trench mouth" I suppose.
Most of the street cats were initially euthanized due to the lack of recourses available to deal with such advanced cases in suffering animals. Since then, friends of mine had pet cats affected with the same problem -- who we made quite an effort to treat but all unsuccessfully.
In one family, 3 DSH [domestic short hair] kitten siblings, 4 months old, acquired the disease in quick succession, the teeth were clean, we tried natural food diet, chlorhexidine oral treatments, and oral antibiotics (clindamycin) -- all to no effect. These cats were FeLV/FIV [feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus] negative. Oral swabs have come back with the result of "mixed culture".
We have no histology or virology labs here (in fact there are no vet labs here in KSA). This is one reason why I'm asking for your opinion on this and the possibility of shipping samples out for testing.
In the last week I've seen 4 cases which has rekindled an interest. They are all from the same feral colony, less than 6 months of age, and may or may not be related. I took oral bacterial swabs again. They have come back with a result of a high growth of _Enterobacter_ + _Bacillus_ species (which I thought was pretty strange). Of those 4 victims, 2 tested positive for FeLV. I have a formalin preserved mandible of one affected cat -- though I'm not sure how/where to send it.
Have you heard of this condition or seen it in cats? Do you have any ideas on how to proceed for me to look into it further?
Lana Dunn
Open Paws Help
--
Communicated by:
Chris Whiting BSc PhD
Research Support Officer
School of Veterinary Science
University of Bristol
[One of the etiologies that come to mind is feline calicivirus infection; see moderator TG's commentary in ProMED-mail 20100721.2450 and Radford et al: Feline Calicivirus Infection, ABCD Guidelines on Prevention and Management. J Fel Med & Surgery 2009; 11(7): 556-64 (abstract available at http://jfm.sagepub.com/content/11/7/556.abstract).
We received the following, gratefully acknowledged observation from Merritt Clifton (editor, Animal People): "If I was to throw a lay person's half-informed wild guess at it, I'd suggest we might be looking at either a really bad form of feline calicivirus or antibiotic-resistant _Bartonella_, both of which are severe oral diseases that tend to stump vets in parts of the world where they have not been seen before".
Informed subscribers, particularly in the Middle East, are encouraged to share their relevant experience. - Mod.AS]
[A general article on feline necrotizing stomatitis, with photos is at:
http://www.dentistvet.com/feline-stomatitis.html. - Mod.JW
Published Date: 2012-09-26 08:14:02
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed disease, feline - Saudi Arabia: necrotizing stomatitis, RFI
Archive Number: 20120926.1309899
UNDIAGNOSED DISEASE, FELINE - SAUDI ARABIA: NECROTIZING STOMATITIS, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
************************************************** *****************************************
A ProMED-mail post
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
Date: Mon 24 Sep 2012
From: Lana Dunn [edited]
Feline necrotizing stomatitis? Help please
------------------------------------------
I'm a NZ/UK vet now working with street cats in Riyadh, [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA]. Most of the work is trap-neuter-return and rescue-rehab-adoption (http://www.OpenPaws.org). Not uncommonly we see a nasty stomatitis/gingivitis syndrome, which I have not seen before coming out to this region. I hope you can shed some light on the situation or at least guide me to investigate it correctly.
The affected cats are young (usually less than 1 year). The initial sign is a very strong stench of rotting flesh -- emanating from the mouth. The affected cats are emaciated -- to cachectic -- the earlier cases appear hungry/thirsty but will not use the mouth to ingest anything. Dark stained drooling and a puffy appearance to the cheeks is also usually seen.
The buccal and dental mucosa is covered in a thick purulent exudate and the gingival tissue is necrotic. The oral mucosa appears to "peel away" from the teeth and bone; initial signs emerge on the buccal aspect of mid mandibular region and usually spread caudally along the mandibular periodontal margins before extending to the maxillary teeth. Unlike the typical FGS [feline gingivitis/stomatitis], inflammation in the palatoglossal folds in often absent and the condition is more necrotizing in appearance than inflammatory -- like "trench mouth" I suppose.
Most of the street cats were initially euthanized due to the lack of recourses available to deal with such advanced cases in suffering animals. Since then, friends of mine had pet cats affected with the same problem -- who we made quite an effort to treat but all unsuccessfully.
In one family, 3 DSH [domestic short hair] kitten siblings, 4 months old, acquired the disease in quick succession, the teeth were clean, we tried natural food diet, chlorhexidine oral treatments, and oral antibiotics (clindamycin) -- all to no effect. These cats were FeLV/FIV [feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus] negative. Oral swabs have come back with the result of "mixed culture".
We have no histology or virology labs here (in fact there are no vet labs here in KSA). This is one reason why I'm asking for your opinion on this and the possibility of shipping samples out for testing.
In the last week I've seen 4 cases which has rekindled an interest. They are all from the same feral colony, less than 6 months of age, and may or may not be related. I took oral bacterial swabs again. They have come back with a result of a high growth of _Enterobacter_ + _Bacillus_ species (which I thought was pretty strange). Of those 4 victims, 2 tested positive for FeLV. I have a formalin preserved mandible of one affected cat -- though I'm not sure how/where to send it.
Have you heard of this condition or seen it in cats? Do you have any ideas on how to proceed for me to look into it further?
Lana Dunn
Open Paws Help
--
Communicated by:
Chris Whiting BSc PhD
Research Support Officer
School of Veterinary Science
University of Bristol
[One of the etiologies that come to mind is feline calicivirus infection; see moderator TG's commentary in ProMED-mail 20100721.2450 and Radford et al: Feline Calicivirus Infection, ABCD Guidelines on Prevention and Management. J Fel Med & Surgery 2009; 11(7): 556-64 (abstract available at http://jfm.sagepub.com/content/11/7/556.abstract).
We received the following, gratefully acknowledged observation from Merritt Clifton (editor, Animal People): "If I was to throw a lay person's half-informed wild guess at it, I'd suggest we might be looking at either a really bad form of feline calicivirus or antibiotic-resistant _Bartonella_, both of which are severe oral diseases that tend to stump vets in parts of the world where they have not been seen before".
Informed subscribers, particularly in the Middle East, are encouraged to share their relevant experience. - Mod.AS]
[A general article on feline necrotizing stomatitis, with photos is at:
http://www.dentistvet.com/feline-stomatitis.html. - Mod.JW
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