Feline Panleukopenia virus

About Feline Panleukopenia virus:

• It is a highly contagious viral disease of cats.
• It is also known as Feline Distemper which is a life-threatening infectious disease. 
• It infects and kills the rapidly growing and dividing cells in the body, including cells in the bone marrow, intestines, and skin, and in a developing fetus.
• Symptoms
  • Once infected by Feline panleukopenia virus, the intestine of the animal gets completely affected.
  • They develop severe diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration which ultimately leads to death.
  • It spreads faster and the infected animal dies within four to five days.
• Treatment 
  • There is no specific treatment for feline panleukopenia.
  • Dehydration is treated with aggressive intravenous fluid therapy while clinical signs of vomiting and diarrhea are treated with prescription medications.
  • Antibiotic therapy is often instituted to help control any secondary bacterial infections due to low white blood cell counts. 

Q1) What is a virus?

A virus is a microscopic infectious agent that is much smaller than a cell and is not considered a living organism. Viruses can infect various forms of life, including animals, plants, fungi, bacteria (known as bacteriophages), and archaea.

Source: In 1 month, 7 leopard cubs at Bengaluru’s Bannerghatta zoo die of feline virus attack