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. 2019 Jul 31;11(8):702.
doi: 10.3390/v11080702.

Antibody Response to Feline Calicivirus Vaccination in Healthy Adult Cats

Michèle Bergmann  1 , Stephanie Speck  2 , Anna Rieger  3 , Uwe Truyen  2 , Katrin Hartmann  3
Affiliations

Antibody Response to Feline Calicivirus Vaccination in Healthy Adult Cats

Michèle Bergmann et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

This study evaluated the prevalence of feline calicivirus (FCV) antibodies and response to vaccination in healthy adult cats. Cats >1 year (n = 111) that had not been vaccinated within 12 months of enrollment in the study received a vaccine containing inactivated FCV antigen strains 431 and G1. Antibodies were determined on Days 0, 7, and 28 by virus neutralization (VN) using FCV isolate KS20, and by broad spectrum blocking FCV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Factors associated with the presence of antibodies and vaccine response were determined by uni- and multivariate analysis. Pre-vaccination antibodies were detected in 62.2% of cats (CI95%: 52.9-70.1) by VN and in 77.2% (CI95%: 67.5-84.6) by ELISA. A ≥4-fold titer increase after vaccination was observed in 13.6% (CI95%: 8.3-21.4) of cats with VN and 33.7% (CI95%: 24.5-44.5) with ELISA. Factors associated with the presence of pre-vaccination VN antibodies were age (≥2 years; OR: 7.091; p = 0.022) and lack of previous vaccination (OR: 3.472; p = 0.014). The presence of pre-vaccination ELISA antibodies was associated with time since last vaccination (OR: 5.672; p = 0.043). Outdoor cats were more likely to have a ≥4-fold ELISA titer increase (OR: 5.556; p = 0.005). Many cats had pre-vaccination FCV antibodies, and their presence depended on previous vaccinations and increases with age. A ≥4-fold titer increase was rarely observed and was influenced by the lifestyle of the cat.

Keywords: FCV; antibody titer; immunization; protection.

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Conflict of interest statement

A part of the study was funded by Boehringer Ingelheim. Boehringer Ingelheim played no role in the collection and interpretation of data, or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Katrin Hartmann has given talks for MSD, Merial, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Idexx. She participated in research funded by or using products from MSD, Merial, Boehringer, Zoetis, Megacor, Biogal, and Scil. Michèle Bergmann has given talks for Merial. She participated in research funded by or using products from MSD, Merial, Boehringer, Zoetis, Megacor, Biogal, and Scil. There is no commercial conflict of interest as the information generated here is solely for scientific dissemination. The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Grouping of cats based on median feline calicivirus (FCV) antibody titers on Day 0 and changes in titer after vaccination against FCV in virus neutralization (VN) testing. The numbers of cats at each time point are given in Section 2.2. Study protocol. Group 1: Titer <10 on Day 0 and subsequent increase in titer (n = 6; 5.5%). Median titers: Day 0, <10; Day 7, 40; Day 28, 80. Group 2: Titer ≥10 on Day 0 and subsequent increase in titer (n = 29; 26.4%). Median titers: Day 0, 20; Day 7, 80; Day 28, 160. Group 3: Titer <10 pre- and titer <10 post-vaccination (n = 33; 30.0%). Group 4: Titer ≥10 on Day 0 and subsequent decrease in titer by Day 28 (n = 18; 16.4%). Median titers: Day 0, 80; Day 7, 80; Day 28, 40. Group 5: Titer ≥10 on Day 0 and no change in titer after vaccination (n = 24; 21.8%). Median titers: Day 0, 80; Day 7, 80; Day 28, 80. Group 6: Titer ≥10 on Day 0, an increase in titer by Day 7 and a decrease in titer by Day 28 (n = 0; 0%).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Grouping of cats based on median feline calicivirus (FCV) antibody titers on Day 0 and changes in titer after vaccination against FCV in ELISA. The numbers of cats at each time point are given in Section 2.2. Study protocol. Group 1: Titer <20 on Day 0 and subsequent increase in titer (n = 11; 13.3%). Median titers: Day 0, <20; Day 7, <20; Day 28, 60. Group 2: Titer ≥20 on Day 0 and subsequent increase in titer (n = 36; 43.4%). Median titers: Day 0, 150; Day 7, 855; Day 28, 1020. Group 3: Titer <20 pre- and titer <20 post-vaccination (n = 9; 7.5%). Median titers: Day 0, <20; Day 7, <20; Day 28, 20. Group 4: Titer ≥20 on Day 0 and decrease in titer by Day 28 (n = 3; 3.6%). Median titers: Day 0, 265; Day 7, 235; Day 28, 30. Group 5: Cats with pre-vaccination antibody titer ≥20 on Day 0 and no change in titer after vaccination (n = 0; 0%). Group 6: Titer ≥20 on Day 0 and decrease in titer by Day 28 (n = 24; 28.9%). Median titers: Day 0, 1125; Day 7, 1960; Day 28, 1050.
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