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Overview: Sporotrichosis is an important subcutaneous fungal infection of humans and animals in some endemic tropical and subtropical areas. Among domestic species, cats are the most frequently infected. Infection: The primary mode of transmission is traumatic inoculation of fungal conidia from plants and soil. Contact with infected cats is the major mode of transmission to humans, especially in endemic areas like Brazil, where a large epidemic has occurred in the past decade. Disease signs: Most cases in cats are cutaneous, presenting as multiple ulcerated nodules and draining tracts in the skin. Lymphadenopathy, respiratory signs and systemic dissemination may also occur. Diagnosis: Diagnosis is based on fungal detection by cytology and/or histology, and confirmation by culture. Treatment: Treatment consists of at least 2 months’ systemic antifungal therapy, with itraconazole as the first-choice agent. The prognosis is favourable provided there is good owner compliance and adverse drug effects do not occur. Prevention: Contact with infected cats carries a high zoonotic risk. Cat owners travelling to endemic areas should be warned and advised to keep their cats indoors to prevent infection. Professionals must wear gloves when handling cats with skin nodules and ulcers and dealing with diagnostic samples.

Overview Feline coronavirus infection is ubiquitous in domestic cats, and is particularly common where conditions are crowded. While most FCoV-infected cats are healthy or display only a mild enteritis, some go on to develop feline infectious peritonitis, a disease that is especially common in young cats and multi-cat environments. Up to 12% of FCoV-infected cats may succumb to FIP, with stress predisposing to the development of disease. Disease signs The ‘wet’ or effusive form, characterised by polyserositis (abdominal and/or thoracic effusion) and vasculitis, and the ‘dry’ or non-effusive form (pyogranulomatous lesions in organs) reflect clinical extremes of a continuum. The clinical picture of FIP is highly variable, depending on the distribution of the vasculitis and pyogranulomatous lesions. Fever refractory to antibiotics, lethargy, anorexia and weight loss are common non-specific signs. Ascites is the most obvious manifestation of the effusive form. Diagnosis The aetiological diagnosis of FIP ante-mortem may be difficult, if not impossible. The background of the cat, its history, the clinical signs, laboratory changes, antibody titres and effusion analysis should all be used to help in decision-making about further diagnostic procedures. At the time of writing, there is no non-invasive confirmatory test available for cats without effusion. Disease management In most cases FIP is fatal. Supportive treatment is aimed at suppressing the inflammatory and detrimental immune response. However, there are no controlled studies to prove any beneficial effect of corticosteroids. Vaccination recommendations At present, only one (intranasal) FIP vaccine is available, which is considered as being non-core. Kittens may profit from vaccination when they have not been exposed to FCoV (eg, in an early-weaning programme), particularly if they enter a FCoV-endemic environment.

Overview: Papillomaviruses are epitheliotropic and cause cutaneous lesions in man and several animal species, including cats. Infection: Cats most likely become infected through lesions or abrasions of the skin. Species-specific viruses have been detected but human and bovine related sequences have also been found, suggesting cross-species transmission. Clinical signs: In cats, papillomaviruses are associated with four different skin lesions: hyperkeratotic plaques, which can progress into Bowenoid in situ carcinomas (BISCs) and further to invasive squamous cell carcinomas (ISCCs); cutaneous fibropapillomas or feline sarcoids; and cutaneous papillomas. However, papillomaviruses have also been found in normal skin. Diagnosis: Papillomavirus-induced skin lesions can be diagnosed by demonstration of papillomavirus antigen in biopsies of skin lesions, or detection of papillomavirus-like particles by electron microscopy and papillomavirus DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Treatment: Spontaneous regression might be expected. In cases of ISCC, complete excision should be considered if possible.

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) encompass subacute neurological degenerative diseases for which the prototypes are scrapie in sheep and some forms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in man. The emergence of a new form of TSE in cattle in United Kingdom (UK) since 1986, namely bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), sharply increased the interest for these diseases, especially because of the epidemic nature of BSE in UK, its subsequent spread in continental Europe and the later discovery of its zoonotic character. The number of measures of veterinary public health taken to control the disease and to prevent its spread to animals and human beings increased in time and culminated by the total feed ban. Indeed, since the beginning of 2001, feed containing proteins of animal origin is prohibited for the feeding of production animals, including ruminants and monogastric species. The effect of this total ban of mammalian meat and bone meal needs to be evaluated. The incidence of BSE has a trend to decrease in UK and in most of the other European member states. However, as BSE is a rare event distributed in a large bovine population, it is difficult to state unambiguously whether this trend is significant. Furthermore, the evaluation of this measure will be only effective at least five years after its introduction, since this period is the mean incubation time of BSE. The main concern is currently the eradication of BSE in the infected countries. Additionally, the control of scrapie is also carried out due to the possible contamination of sheep with the BSE agent. These actions must take into account several new facts: the recent discovery of BSE cases in countries with a low geographical BSE risk level as Japan, Canada and the United States of America (USA); the growing incidence of chronic wasting disease, a spongiform encephalopathy observed in deer in USA; the characterization of a new pattern of bovine amyloidotic spongiform encephalopathy in Italy, atypical scrapie cases in sheep and atypical BSE cases in cattle in Europe and the efficacy of sheep selection based on scrapie resistant genotypes.

Overview: Rare fungal infections, including those hitherto not reported in Europe, may occur sporadically in non-endemic areas, or imported cases may be seen. Infections: Blastomycosis is mainly seen in North America; no cases have been reported in Europe. Histoplasmosis, which is endemic in the eastern US, Central and South America, has been diagnosed in Japan and Europe. Coccidioidomycosis is endemic in the southwestern US, Central and South America; only one imported case has been reported in Europe. The primary mode of transmission is inhalation of conidia or spores from the environment. Disease signs: Most feline cases present with a combination of clinical signs (mainly respiratory, along with skin, eye, central nervous system and bone). Lymphadenopathy and systemic signs may be present. Diagnosis: Diagnosis is based on fungal detection by cytology and/or histology. Commercial laboratories do not routinely perform fungal culture. Diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis, which is more difficult, may be supported by antibody detection. Treatment: Treatment consists of prolonged systemic antifungal therapy, with itraconazole as the first-choice agent for histoplasmosis and blastomycosis. The prognosis is good if owner compliance is adequate and adverse drug effects do not occur. Prevention: Cat owners travelling to endemic areas should be warned about these diseases. There is no zoonotic risk.

Overview: Babesiosis is a tick-borne protozoan disease caused by parasites of the genus Babesia that belong to the Piroplasmida. The disease is named after the Romanian bacteriologist Victor Babeş. Babesiosis is also known as piroplasmosis (from Latin pirum, meaning ‘pear’, and plasma, ‘image, formation’). Infection: Babesiosis affects domestic and wild animals and humans worldwide. While the disease is recognised in dogs around the world, it is found only rarely in cats. Human disease: Babesia species are common blood parasites of mammals. Human babesiosis is uncommon, but more cases in people have been reported recently, most likely because of rising awareness.

Overview: Disease in cats after infection with the zoonotic bacterium Francisella tularensis has been reported only from North America; rodents and lagomorphs are the more susceptible hosts. Tularaemia is transmitted by ticks, but also acquired by direct contact, bite, scratch, ingestion or inhalation. Clinical signs range from mild chronic localised infections to fatal acute disease; antibiotic therapy is efficient. Acquiring the infection from cats is a risk for owners of outdoor cats, veterinarians and technicians.

Overview: Plague, the medieval ‘Black Death’, is caused by a Gram-negative coccobacillus, Yersinia pestis, which also infects cats. As in people, it is transmitted from rodents through flea bites; it occurs in Asia, Africa and the Americas in flea-infested regions, all year round, and where rodent reservoirs are abundant. A poor prognosis is associated with high fever, and the pulmonary and septicaemic forms. Antibiotic therapy, flea control and avoidance of rodent contacts have made this infection manageable.

Overview: Tritrichomonas foetus is a protozoan organism that is specific to cats and can cause large bowel diarrhoea. It is distinct from other Tritrichomonas species and not considered to be zoonotic. Infection is most common in young cats from multicat households, particularly pedigree breeding catteries. Disease signs: Affected cats show frequent fetid diarrhoea, often with mucus, fresh blood and straining, but generally remain bright and do not lose weight. Diagnosis: Diagnosis of infection is usually based on direct microscopic examination of freshly voided faeces. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing is more sensitive but may detect infections unrelated to diarrhoea and, therefore, requires care in interpretation. Treatment: The treatment of choice is ronidazole, which should be used with care as it is an unlicensed drug for cats with a narrow safety margin. Clinical signs are generally self-limiting in untreated cases, but may take months to resolve.