Development and evaluation of a triplex real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for rapid and differential detection of three feline respiratory viral pathogens

Abstract

Feline respiratory disease complex (FRDC) is globally reported disease syndrome characterized by acute and contagious respiratory or ocular diseases caused by one or multiple pathogens; a variety of viral and bacterial pathogens are associated with outbreaks of FRDC, such as feline calicivirus (FCV), feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV-1), Bordetella bronchiseptica (B. bronchiseptica), Chlamydia felis (C. felis), and Mycoplasma felis (M. felis) (Cai et al, 2002; Di Martino et al, 2007; Cohn, 2011; Fernandez et al, 2017). Of these, FCV and FHV-1 are considered the primary viral pathogens that are most frequently identified in cats with FRDC (Radford et al, 2009; Thiry et al, 2009; Hoffmann et al, 2022). Although extremely rare, certain subtypes of influenza A viruses (IAVs) are also associated with FRDC, and concern has been raised regarding their zoonotic potential (Borland et al, 2020; Frymus et al, 2021).