Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Aug 8;15(8):1708.
doi: 10.3390/v15081708.

Feline Injection-Site Sarcoma and Other Adverse Reactions to Vaccination in Cats

Katrin Hartmann  1 , Herman Egberink  2 , Karin Möstl  3 , Diane D Addie  4 , Sándor Belák  5 , Corine Boucraut-Baralon  6 , Tadeusz Frymus  7 , Albert Lloret  8 , Regina Hofmann-Lehmann  9 , Fulvio Marsilio  10 , Maria Grazia Pennisi  11 , Séverine Tasker  12   13 , Etienne Thiry  14 , Uwe Truyen  15 , Margaret J Hosie  16
Affiliations
Review

Feline Injection-Site Sarcoma and Other Adverse Reactions to Vaccination in Cats

Katrin Hartmann et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

Vaccine-associated adverse events (VAAEs), including feline injection-site sarcomas (FISSs), occur only rarely but can be severe. Understanding potential VAAEs is an important part of informed owner consent for vaccination. In this review, the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD), a scientifically independent board of feline medicine experts, presents the current knowledge on VAAEs in cats, summarizing the literature and filling the gaps where scientific studies are missing with expert opinion to assist veterinarians in adopting the best vaccination practice. VAAEs are caused by an aberrant innate or adaptive immune reaction, excessive local reactions at the inoculation site, an error in administration, or failure in the manufacturing process. FISS, the most severe VAAE, can develop after vaccinations or injection of other substances. Although the most widely accepted hypothesis is that chronic inflammation triggers malignant transformation, the pathogenesis of FISS is not yet fully understood. No injectable vaccine is risk-free, and therefore, vaccination should be performed as often as necessary, but as infrequently as possible. Vaccines should be brought to room temperature prior to administration and injected at sites in which FISS surgery would likely be curative; the interscapular region should be avoided. Post-vaccinal monitoring is essential.

Keywords: FISS; VAAE; adverse event; anaphylaxis; hypersensitivity reaction; immunization; side effect; vaccine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors are members of the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD), a scientifically independent board of experts in feline medicine. Some individual authors have been consultants for, or have received research funding and honoraria from, animal health companies and other organizations, but all authors declare no conflict of interest for the writing of these independent guidelines. The ABCD sponsors had no role in the writing, nor in the decision to publish this review.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cat with feline injection-site sarcoma. Courtesy of Johannes Hirschberger, LMU, Munich, Germany.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Histological sections of a 2 cm diameter mass removed from the lateral thorax of a 13-year-old domestic shorthair cat. A similar interscapular mass had been removed from this cat two months previously. (a) A focus of lymphoplasmacytic inflammation is contained within the surrounding sarcoma. (b) Higher magnification of the neoplastic tissue reveals a pleomorphic population of neoplastic spindle cells with occasional giant nuclei and irregular mitotic activity (arrow). Hematoxylin and eosin stain. Pictures provided by Michael Day, Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, United Kingdom.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases Guideline for Adverse Reactions to Vaccination. [(accessed on 13 January 2023)]. Available online: http://www.abcdcatsvets.org/adverse-reactions-to-vaccination/
    1. Hosie M.J., Addie D., Belák S., Boucraut-Baralon C., Egberink H., Frymus T., Gruffydd-Jones T., Hartmann K., Lloret A., Lutz H., et al. Matrix vaccination guidelines: ABCD recommendations for indoor/outdoor cats, rescue shelter cats and breeding catteries. J. Feline Med. Surg. 2013;15:540–544. doi: 10.1177/1098612X13489209. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hartmann K., Day M.J., Thiry E., Lloret A., Frymus T., Addie D., Boucraut-Baralon C., Egberink H., Gruffydd-Jones T., Horzinek M.C., et al. Feline injection-site sarcoma: ABCD guidelines on prevention and management. J. Feline Med. Surg. 2015;17:606–613. doi: 10.1177/1098612X15588451. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Moore G.E., HogenEsch H. Adverse vaccinal events in dogs and cats. Vet. Clin. N. Am. Small Anim. Pract. 2010;40:393–407. doi: 10.1016/j.cvsm.2010.02.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Day M.J., Horzinek M.C., Schultz R.D., Squires R.A. WSAVA Guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats. J. Small Anim. Pract. 2016;57:e1–e45. doi: 10.1111/jsap.2_12431. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types