FCoV Virus and Pathogenesis

This article is published in this site with the special permission of END FIP®

FCoV is a virus of the gastrointestinal tract, most infections are either asymptomatic or cause diarrhea, especially in kittens as maternally derived antibody wanes at between five and seven weeks of age. The virus is commonly referred to as feline enteric coronavirus (FECV), but this is a misleading name because all FCoVs got through a systemic phase. From the gut, the virus very briefly undergoes a systemic phase, [See for References] returning to the gut from where it is shed in the feces.

In brief, feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is the result of an excessive inflammatory response to infection with feline coronavirus (FCoV). The pathogenesis of FIP is complicated:

• the reductionist view is that it is entirely due to mutation of the virus, enabling it to enter or replicate more successfully in monocytes. [See for References] While this internal mutation theory is the most widely accepted, no consistent mutation has been identified.
• The holistic approach is that FIP occurs as a result of a number of factors, including viral load (some strains are undoubtedly more virulent than others) and the immune status and general health of the cat (host).