Rana, Eaftekhar Ahmed, Akther, Mahfuza, Beetson, Susan, Sarker, Subir, Rossi, Gabriele, and Uddin, Jasim M. (2026) Successful in vitro propagation of feline coronavirus from clinically diagnosed feline infectious peritonitis cases using Vero cells: A potential model for future research. Veterinary Record Open, 13. e70030.

Preview

PDF (Published Version) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (4MB) | Preview

Abstract

Background: Feline coronavirus (FCoV) causes inapparent to progressive fatal feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) in domestic and wild cats, which affects multiple-organ systems. Methods: We investigated three clinically sick cats using different laboratory and molecular tests to diagnose and confirm FCoV and propagate the virus in Vero cell culture. Results: All the cats exhibited effusive FIP with multiple clinical signs. The haematology profiles revealed lymphopenia in all cases and leukopenia, neutropenia and regenerative left shift in one case. Serum biochemistry showed elevated creatine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase, hyperbilirubinaemia and hypoalbuminaemia in all the cases. Urinalysis revealed bilirubinuria in two cases and marked proteinuria in another. All effused samples showed a positive Rivalta test, and the cytology showed a mixed pyogranulomatous inflammatory exudate. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) confirmed that all the cats were infected with FCoV. The specific gene sequencing of three isolates clustered in the same clade of the phylogenetic tree, suggesting a closely related genotype associated with FIP in cats. Feline coronavirus induced cytopathic effects (CPEs) in Vero cells, first appearing on day 5 post-infection (pi) in the primary passage. In the second passage, more distinct CPEs, including cell rounding, shrinkage, detachment and death, were evident from day 2 pi. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction confirmed active viral replication, with significantly decreasing Ct values across passages. Conclusions and clinical importance: The adaptation and propagation of FCoV in a non-feline cell line provide promising opportunities for future studies, including generating sufficient viral RNA for sequencing, evaluating antiviral resistance, and establishing a practical in vitro system for drug screening and vaccine development.

Item ID:	91056
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2052-6113
Keywords:	cats, cytopathic effect, FCoV, laboratory diagnosis, phylogenetic analysis, RT-qPCR, Vero cell culture
Related URLs:	https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri...
Copyright Information:	This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2026 The Author(s). Veterinary Record Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Veterinary Association.
Date Deposited:	31 Mar 2026 02:45
	More Statistics