Isolation and preliminary pathogenicity of a recent feline astrovirus strain in China

TL;DR

This study isolates a feline astrovirus in China and shows it can cause diarrhea, especially when combined with another virus.

Contribution

The first successful isolation of a feline astrovirus strain and evidence of its pathogenicity in cats.

Findings

A feline astrovirus strain was isolated from a diarrheal sample and induced cytopathic effects in cell culture.

Experimental infection showed seroconversion and fecal shedding in cats, with one showing self-limiting diarrhea.

Co-infection with feline parvovirus enhanced astrovirus replication and disease severity.

Abstract

Feline astroviruses (FeAstVs) have been increasingly detected in cats in recent years, yet their isolation and pathogenicity remain poorly characterized. In this study, we screened 86 feline diarrheal samples and identified FeAstV in 9.3% (8/86) of the cases, most of which were co-infected with feline parvovirus (FPV). A FeAstV strain (22SDWH1003-16) was successfully isolated in F81 cells from a single FeAstV positive sample, inducing cytopathic effects (CPEs) over 15 passages. The phylogenetic tree of ORF2 classified the isolate within Mamastrovirus 2 group 1, the most common in the inter-specific transmission within cats. Experimental inoculation of four cats revealed seroconversion in all animals, transient fecal shedding in 3/4 cats, and self-limiting diarrhea in one individual. Co-infection experiments demonstrated enhanced FeAstV replication in the presence of FPV. Our findings provide the direct evidence of FeAstV-induced diarrhea in cats and highlight the role of viral co-infections in disease severity.

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