Cat Disease Challenges What Scientists Thought About Coronaviruses
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have uncovered new details about how a once-deadly coronavirus disease in cats spreads through the immune system. The findings may help scientists better understand long COVID and other long-lasting inflammatory illnesses in people.
The disease, feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, is caused by a form of feline coronavirus that changes inside some cats. If left untreated, it is almost always fatal. While FIP only affects cats, it shares many features with serious coronavirus-related conditions in humans, including severe inflammation that can damage multiple organs, as well as symptoms that can persist or return.
For years, the prevailing belief was that the virus behind FIP infected just one type of immune cell.
“What we found is that it actually infects a much broader range of immune cells, including those that are critical for fighting infection,” said lead author Amir Kol, associate professor with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
The findings suggest that FIP may serve as a valuable real-world model for understanding how coronaviruses interact with the immune system over time. Insights gained from cats could help guide future research into chronic inflammation and post-viral syndromes in humans, including long COVID.
By bridging veterinary and human medicine, the study highlights how naturally occurring diseases in animals can help answer critical questions about human health.
Author: Amy Quinton
Source: https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/
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