There were several reported feline cases and one canine case of H1N1 last year. The infected pets and other reported animal cases were male, female and various ages. All cases shared one thing in common though: the human caretakers were ill with respiratory symptoms (many were confirmed with H1N1) a few days to a week prior to their pet becoming ill.
The AVMA reported today that an 8-year old female cat was confirmed with H1N1 after no known exposure to a person or animal infected with H1N1. However, contact with an asymptomatic carrier (no clinical signs) may be one explanation.
According to the IDEXX case report, the cat was taken to the shelter after her owner died. she developed respiratory signs 5 days after adoption - sneezing with a clear discharge from her nose and eyes. She was taken to a veterinarian who recommended testing for several respiratory viruses. She tested positive for feline herpesvirus type 1, a virus commonly found in feline respiratory infections. Also included on this test kit was one for the H1N1 virus, which also tested positive.
Going forward
This case has a little different twist to it, but the end result is the same: if your pet is lethargic, not eating, coughing, sneezing, or in any way "not himself," please call your as soon as possible veterinarian to consult. This case is unique in that the test used for this cat is a panel of common feline viruses, with the H1N1 virus test recently added, which is how it was discovered. As always, washing hands, covering coughs, isolating sick individuals and seeing your doctor (human or vet) when sick are best practices for staying healthy.
Image: Negative stain EM image of the 2009 H1N1 influenza Photo Credit: C. S. Goldsmith and A. Balish, CDC
Comments
Interesting!