Panleukopenia Virus

In the article “Are Viruses Alive?,” Luis P. Villarreal discusses the effects of viruses on life, while presenting different angles as to whether or not they are alive themselves and arguing about the impact viruses have had on evolution. Through a deeper understanding of viruses and their functions, the scientific community may come to fully appreciate viruses, whether they are living or non-living in themselves, as significant evolutionary components.

* Flaviviruses: share a common size (40-60nm), symmetry (enveloped, icosahedral nucleocapsid), nucleic acid (positive-sense, single stranded RNA approximately 10,000-11,000 bases), and appearance in the electron microscope. Therefore, images of West Nile virus are representative for this group of viruses.

Viruses are microscopic particles that invade and take over both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. They consist of two structures, which are the nucleic acid and capsid. The nucleic acid contains all genetic material in the form of DNA or RNA, and is enclosed in the capsid, which is the protein coating that helps the virus attach to and penetrate the host cell. In some cases, certain viruses have a membrane surrounding the capsid, called an envelope. This structure allows viruses to become more stealthy and protected. There are two cycles in which a virus can go into: lytic and lysogenic. The lytic cycle consists of the virus attaching to a cell, injecting its DNA, and creating more viruses, which proceed to destroy the host. On the other hand, the lysogenic cycle includes the virus attaching to the cell, injecting its DNA, which combines with the cell’s DNA in order for it to become provirus. Then, the provirus DNA may eventually switch to the lytic cycle and destroy the host.

This virus is an extremely common cause of respiratory disease and often results in chronic, often life-long, infection with intermittent recurrences causing respiratory and sometimes eye disease. It is spread easily through airborne respiratory secretions and direct contact with a carrier cat or contaminated objects. Calicivirus a common viral infectious respiratory disease, it can also cause mouth sores resulting in severe oral pain. Spread by direct contact with an infected cat or by contact with contaminated objects. The virus is very resistant to disinfectants and persists in the environment. Panleukopenia a severe, highly infectious and sometimes fatal disease of the gastrointestinal tract, the immune system and the nervous system. The disease is named for the characteristic severe decrease in white blood cells, the body’s defense against disease. The virus is very persistent in the environment. This virus spreads by direct contact with infected cats or by contact with viral particles in the

Parvovirus-Fever, nasal discharge, bright red cheeks appears similar to a slapped cheek, 2-4 days later a lacy type of rash appears trunk and limbs.

I’m pretty sure that once in your life you have heard the word or term “Parvovirus”, or in its shortened form, “Parvo”. Likely, if you have heard of this word you know it isn’t a great one. Canine Parvovirus is a severe life threatening virus, hence the name, found in dogs of nearly any size and usually found in dogs 6 months or younger. The Parvovirus attacks blood cells and sharply affects the intestines. In 1967 the parvovirus was discovered and given the name CPV-1 and at the later period of 1978 a new kind of Parvovirus was discovered and called CPV-2. CPV-2 is the main form of the Parvovirus that is still seen today. Other varying animals that Parvo is found in are coyotes, foxes, and wolves. In this essay I will discuss how Parvo is contracted, the symptoms of Parvo, how you the owner can help your dog if symptoms are shown, how to avoid your dog contracting the Parvovirus, and how it is treated.

Feline herpesvirus is a highly contagious virus that causes feline viral rhinotracheitis. Feline viral rhinotracheitis is an acute upper respiratory infection that is one of the most common infections in cats. Feline herpesvirus is also associated with several less common diseases, which include keratitis and feline herpesvirus-associated dermatitis. After recovery, feline herpesvirus typically becomes latent though it stays with the cat for the remainder of his or her life. The virus may become reactivated due to stress or corticosteroid treatment, allowing it to be passed onto other cats.

pestis infections (Gage, et. al., 2000). During 1924–2006, a total of 13 human cases of primary pneumonic plague were documented in the United States, and greater than five were associated with cats (felids). Twelve cases of plague transmission from nondomestic carnivores to humans have been documented, including a fatal case of human pneumonic plague in 2007 that resulted from direct contact with an infected puma (Puma concolor). The lesions of the orally infected cats were consistent with those previously described for naturally occurring Y. pestis infections in cats and corroborate the contention that cats most commonly contract plague by eating Y. pestis-infected rodents and not via flea bite. The histopathology of Y. pestis disease in these cats is comparable to that described for human plague (Eisen, et. a, 2008). Although there are historic suggestions of cats being susceptible to plague, it was not until the latter part of the 1900s that plague was recognized as a significant disease. It was then recognized that infected cats could serve as a threat to human health. Cats are considered rare among carnivores in that they are unusually susceptible to disease after Y. pestis exposure. In 1999, a total of 42 plague cases in cats (Felis cattus) were confirmed from the three states where plague is most common: California (7), Colorado (9), and New Mexico (26) (Watson, et. al, 2001). Despite the known association of felids with human plague, the prevalence of Y. pestis infection in non-domestic cats remains relatively

Wolves are carriers of the lupine parvovirus (LPV), and it is suggested that the virus is responsible for lycanthropy. LPV infected wolves are resistant to environmental trauma, including digestive enzymes, making it much easier to spread through contaminated food and water sources. Wolves infect humans through biting and after infection, there is a period of high fever, chills and other flu-like symptoms, and the victim is likely to experience extreme dehydration and itching as their metabolism and heart rate increase (Hugo Pecos and Robert Lomax

When classically looking at viruses and other diseases, humans are the first species that comes to mind, but there are many other species of animals that are equally affected by these diseases as well. Generally, the viruses that these species fall victim to exclusively affect a single species without affecting other species. Feline Leukemia virus for example can be found exclusively in cats. More specifically, this Feline Leukemia is a retrovirus, which leads to metastasis, tumor growth, and slow infections to develop. The FLV is one of the most common ways that cancer occurs in cats weakening their immune systems and making them more apt to die from other causes that would other is less harmful to healthy cats. Cats infected by this virus

From the sequence scientists were able to determine that virus probably began its life in an animal then mutated before picking up the power to infect people.

This little package of mayhem consists of relatively few parts. A virus is simply a protein capsule called a capsid, sometimes surrounded by an envelope, containing a genome. The genome consists of nucleic acids arranged as DNA or less commonly, RNA. Dozens of variants of this fundamental arrangement exist with differences in the structure of the capsule and the arrangement of the genome. Small differences or changes in these components allow some viruses to continue to outmaneuver researchers, while millions of dollars are spent trying to understand and eliminate them.

A number of studies have supported the theory that the virus had originally occurred in animals previous to human infections.5 The MERs-CoV virus is a type of coronavirus that has been known for infecting both birds and many species of mammals. These types of infections are commonly referred to as zoonotic diseases because the pathogens are able to be transferred from animals to humans. Zoonosis can happen with or without a vector in order to spread the infection. Although the exact origin of the MERs-CoV infections is unknown, there has been convincing research performed that has found related types of coronaviruses in bats and camels. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the coronavirus is found in multiple species and can cause respiratory illness and gastrointestinal upset.

To begin, understand that feline panleukopenia is named for what the parvovirus does- depletes the quantity of white blood cells, weakening the immune system. Feline panleukopenia virus, depends on cells in the S phase for replication of the virus, resulting in an affinity for cells such as those found in the digestive tract, lymphoid tissues and bone marrow which are rapidly and frequently

In addition, the hypothesis that inconsistencies of the varying heterogeneity of SPLV in different studies were a result of differences in viral genetics, differences in the host’s genetics, and calculation error as a result of incorrect methods were examined. After an assessment of the results of the study, and the different methods uses, it can be determined that the difference in SPLV heritability is not a direct result of genetic differences between large populations. On the contrast, it was confirmed that there is a significant variability in viral load of an