FASTest® FCoV Strip

Feline Coronavirus (FCoV) is a world-wide virus in domestic and wild cats occasionally causing a chronic progredient and often fatal FIP virus infection. Based on the latest scientific knowledge, a FIP infection is not transmitted from one cat to another. FIP occurs sporadic in cats infected oronasal by an apathogenic variant of Feline Coronavirus (FCoV) which has mutated stress-related into a pathogen FCoV variant (FIPV).

Like FCoV antibody prevalence, also FCoV antigen shedding rates vary considerably depending on the way of housing. Multiple cat households with more than 3 cats and use of common cat litter boxes show highest prevalence. In such conditions, FCoV can be infectious up to 7 weeks. Main source of infection is FCoV infected feces.

The clinical symptoms of a FIP infection vary due to pathogenic form and manifestation of organs. The transitions between the various forms are, however, fluent. Therefore, a FIP infection could show more effusive (“wet”) FIP or non-effusive (“dry”) FIP.

Therefore, all cats showing diffuse clinical symptoms like antibiotic resistant recurring fever, unclear different organ lesions, chronic weight loss, pleural and / or peritoneal effusions should be considered as “suspicious for FIP”.

Studies proved the correlation between level of antibody titre and virus shedding rate. Although cats suffering of a manifest FIP could shed less FCoV, asymptomatic cats can shed FCoV over months via feces while other cats of the same household shed only occasionally or over weeks no virus. However, chronic shedders could shed a million times more FCoV as accidental shedders. Therefore, the risk of infection and, associated therewith, the individual virus load leads to a higher FCoV mutation rate and to a higher likelihood developing a FIP infection.

FCoV infection of a breeding population could be rarely avoided with a reasonable effort. Therefore, all rehabilitation of the breeding population should concentrate on enhancing the amount of virus load and antibody status to reduce the infection risk as much as possible within this cat population.

Monitoring FCoV shedding (optimal: 5 consecutive tests at weekly intervals) using FASTest® FCoV Strip will help to detect easily and on-site asymptomatic chronic shedders and to immediately start separation and prophylaxis measures.

• Test Principle :  Lateral flow
• Packaging :  10
• Pathogenic :  Feline Coronavirus (FCoV / FIP)