Serological Survey of Retrovirus and Coronavirus Infections, including SARS-CoV-2, in Rural Stray Cats in The Netherlands, 2020-2022.

Stray cats can host (zoonotic) viral pathogens and act as a source of infection for domestic cats or humans. In this cross-sectional (sero)prevalence study, sera from 580 stray cats living in 56 different cat groups in rural areas in The Netherlands were collected from October 2020 to July 2022. These were used to investigate the prevalence of the cat-specific feline leukemia virus (FeLV, n = 580), the seroprevalence of the cat-specific feline viruses feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV, n = 580) and feline coronavirus (FCoV, n = 407), and the zoonotic virus severe acute respiratory coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2, n = 407) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). ELISA-positive results were confirmed using Western blot (FIV) or pseudovirus neutralization test (SARS-CoV-2). The FIV seroprevalence was 5.0% (95% CI (Confidence Interval) 3.4-7.1) and ranged from 0-19.0% among groups. FIV-specific antibodies were more often detected in male cats, cats ≥ 3 years and cats with reported health problems. No FeLV-positive cats were found (95% CI 0.0-0.6). The FCoV seroprevalence was 33.7% (95% CI 29.1-38.5) and ranged from 4.7-85.7% among groups. FCoV-specific antibodies were more often detected in cats ≥ 3 years, cats with reported health problems and cats living in industrial areas or countryside residences compared to cats living at holiday parks or campsites. SARS-CoV-2 antibodies against the subunit 1 (S1) and receptor binding domain (RBD) protein were detected in 2.7% (95% CI 1.4-4.8) of stray cats, but sera were negative in the pseudovirus neutralization test and therefore were considered SARS-CoV-2 suspected. Our findings suggest that rural stray cats in The Netherlands can be a source of FIV and FCoV, indicating a potential risk for transmission to other cats, while the risk for FeLV is low. However, suspected SARS-CoV-2 infections in these cats were uncommon. We found no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 cat-to-cat spread in the studied stray cat groups and consider the likelihood of spillover to humans as low.

Implementation of a Blended Learning Module to Teach Handling, Restraint, and Physical Examination of Cats in Undergraduate Veterinary Training.

Cats can be easily stressed in a clinical (training) setting and may show unpredictable reactions and patterns of defensive aggression. This can be a complicating factor in undergraduate veterinary training. Inexperienced veterinary students can evoke defensive feline behavior that negatively affects learning outcomes and animal welfare. As a result, restraint techniques and physical examination of cats was hardly practiced in pre-clinical training at Utrecht University. To overcome this, a new blended learning module was developed using a lecture on feline behavior; e-learning modules about feline behavior, handling, restraint, and physical examination skills; and redesigned practical sessions in which live animals and manikins were used. The aim of this study was to investigate how students' perceptions of competence and confidence changed regarding feline behavior, handling, restraint, and physical examination skills after the new module was implemented. Questionnaires were used for quantitative analysis, and focus groups were used for qualitative analysis. The results show that compared with students who followed the standard module, students who participated in the blended learning module scored higher in feeling confident with handling animals, feeling competent to perform physical examination on cats, and ability to assess whether a cat is stressed. Students with less experience with cats were more likely to show improvement in assessing a cat's stress level than students who had much experience with cats. The results demonstrate that the blended learning module improves students' learning outcomes regarding feline skills training and adds to reduction, refinement, and replacement of the use of live cats.

The clinical significance of Cyniclomyces guttulatus in dogs with chronic diarrhoea, a survey and a prospective treatment study.

This study surveyed the prevalence of massive numbers of Cyniclomyces guttulatus in faecal samples from healthy dogs (18%) and dogs with chronic diarrhoea (14%) suggesting that this yeast has no clinical significance. Subsequently, a total of 57 referred dogs with chronic diarrhoea were selected because they excreted massive numbers of C. guttulatus and their initial diagnostic work-up yielded no other direct clues explaining their diarrhoea. Treatment with nystatin did not result in any clinical response in 36 out of these 57 dogs (63%), although they no longer shed the yeast. However, a response was noted in the remaining 21 (37%) dogs: 13 were 'responders', in that their diarrhoea subsided for more than two weeks and the faeces were cleared of the yeast. However, three of these dogs relapsed repeatedly, with signs of diarrhoea and massive shedding of the yeast. The other eight dogs were 'incomplete responders', whereby faecal quality initially normalised, but diarrhoea relapsed within two weeks, whilst still not shedding the yeast. In these cases, further diagnostic work up revealed other co-causes of diarrhoea. It was concluded that there was no direct evidence that C. guttulatus is a primary pathogen. However, the results of the prospective treatment study suggest that a possible role in a minority of cases, perhaps as an opportunist, cannot be ruled out.