Early Renal Involvement in Cats with Natural Feline Morbillivirus Infection

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Feline morbillivirus is a newly discovered paramyxovirus infecting domestic cats. Its pathogenetic role in domestic cats is still debated, however some evidences suggest a potential involvement of this novel feline virus in the pathogenesis of feline chronic kidney disease. In this study, clinical data of cats infected by morbillivirus were retrospectively reviewed and compared with data obtained from healthy cats and cats affected by chronic kidney disease. The results of the present study suggest that this infection can be associated with the presence of a sub-clinical kidney damage and with different grades of renal dysfunction in cats younger than those typically affected by chronic kidney disease. ABSTRACT: Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) is a newly discovered paramyxovirus infecting domestic cats and its role in the pathogenesis of feline chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been suggested, however not confirmed. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the renal damage associated with FeMV infection in cats. In this retrospective study, clinical and clinicopathological data were compared among 14 FeMV naturally infected, 21 CKD and 22 healthy cats. FeMV positive cats had serum chemistry analytes and main urine chemistry results similar to the healthy subjects. FeMV positive cats had significantly decreased urine specific gravity (median 1054, range 1022–1065) and urine creatinine (median 227.23 mg/dL, range 83.02–489.75) when compared with healthy cats (median 1067, range 1040–1080, p < 0.001; median 406.50 mg/dL, range 195.32–575.58; p < 0.001, respectively). Urine protein:creatinine ratio (UPC) results of FeMV and CKD were not different (median 0.20, range 0.08–1.03; median 0.23, range 0.10–0.80, respectively), however UPC results were significantly increased in both groups, if compared with healthy cats (median 0.1, range 0.04–0.250, p < 0.01). Based on clinical data, serum creatinine concentration, urine specific gravity and UPC results, CKD was suspected by clinicians in 3/14 FeMV cats. Urine protein sodium-dodecyl-sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) in 10/13 (77%) FeMV cats indicated a tubular pattern, with a decrease of uromodulin and an increase in the number and intensity of low molecular weight proteins. FeMV infection can be associated with different grades of renal dysfunction ranging from mild tubular proteinuria with less concentrated urine to azotemia in cats younger than those typically affected by CKD.