Prevalence of Feline Coronavirus Antibodies in Japanese Domestic Cats during the Past Decade

Abstract

From 2001 to 2010, 17,392 Japanese cats were examined for feline coronavirus (FCoV) antibodies. Seroprevalence of purebreds (66.7%) was higher than random breds (31.2%). Seroprevalence increased greatly in purebreds by aged three months, while random breds did not fluctuate greatly with aging, indicating cattery environments can contribute to FCoV epidemic. Purebreds from northern regions of Japan were likely to be sero-positive (76.6% in Hokkaido, 80.0% in Tohoku), indicating cattery cats in cold climates might be more closely confined. Among purebreds, American Shorthair, Himalayan, Oriental, Persian, and Siamese were at low seroprevalence, while American Curl, Maine Coon, Norwegian Forest Cat, Ragdoll, and Scottish Fold were at high seroprevalence. There would be also breed-related differences in Japan, similar to the previous studies in Australia.