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Case Reports
. 2023 Sep 9;11(9):2263.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11092263.

A Fatal A/H5N1 Avian Influenza Virus Infection in a Cat in Poland

Olga Szaluś-Jordanow  1 , Anna Golke  2 , Tomasz Dzieciątkowski  3 , Dorota Chrobak-Chmiel  2 , Magdalena Rzewuska  2 , Michał Czopowicz  4 , Rafał Sapierzyński  5 , Michał Kardas  6 , Kinga Biernacka  4 , Marcin Mickiewicz  4 , Agata Moroz-Fik  4 , Andrzej Łobaczewski  6 , Ilona Stefańska  2 , Ewelina Kwiecień  2 , Iwona Markowska-Daniel  4 , Tadeusz Frymus  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

A Fatal A/H5N1 Avian Influenza Virus Infection in a Cat in Poland

Olga Szaluś-Jordanow et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

A European Shorthair male cat, neutered, approximately 6 years of age, was presented to the veterinary clinic due to apathy and anorexia. The cat lived mostly outdoors and was fed raw chicken meat. After 3 days of diagnostic procedures and symptomatic treatment, respiratory distress and neurological signs developed and progressed into epileptic seizures, followed by respiratory and cardiac arrest within the next 3 days. Post-mortem examination revealed necrotic lesions in the liver, lungs, and intestines. Notably, the brain displayed perivascular infiltration of lymphocytes and histiocytes. Few foci of neuronal necrosis in the brain were also confirmed. Microscopic examination of the remaining internal organs was unremarkable. The A/H5N1 virus infection was confirmed using a one-step real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The disease caused severe neurological and respiratory signs, evidence of consolidations and the presence of numerous B lines, which were detected on lung ultrasound examination; the postmortem findings and detection of A/H5N1 viral RNA in multiple tissues indicated a generalized A/H5N1 virus infection. Moreover, a multidrug-resistant strain of Enterococcus faecium was isolated in pure culture from several internal organs. The source of infection could be exposure to infected birds or their excrements, as well as contaminated raw poultry meat but, in this case, the source of infection could not be identified.

Keywords: H5N1; cats; highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The thoracic X-ray image in the lateral right-left (RL) position. Parenchymal densities are visible in the anterior and middle fields of the lungs (asterisks indicate areas of lesions in the lungs).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The thoracic X-ray image in the anteroposterior (AP) position. Parenchymal densities are visible in the middle and caudal fields of the lungs (asterisks indicate areas of lesions in the lungs).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Ultrasonographic examination of the lungs. (A) Image of a healthy lung filled with air, the white arrow indicates the normal, smooth pleural line, (B) A small subpleural consolidation, with a diameter of approximately 1.5 mm (white arrow), (C) A subpleural consolidation of approximately 0.5 cm in size (white arrow), (D) Image of a consolidation involving a portion of the lung to the depth of approximately 1.8 cm, an aerated area of the affected lung is visible (white arrows).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Histopathological examination of the liver—(A,B) areas of necrosis with inflammatory infiltrate composed of lymphocytes and histiocytes (Hematoxylin-eosin staining; (A) bar 50 µm; (B) bar 20 µm).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Histopathological examination of the lungs. (A) atelectasis, hyperemia, interstitial and alveolar hemorrhages. (B) macrophages within the alveolar lumen (Hematoxylin-eosin staining; (A) bar 50 µm; (B) bar 20 µm).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Histopathological examination of the intestinal wall. (A,B) vacuolization and necrosis of myenteric plexus cells with inflammatory infiltrate consisting of lymphocytes and histiocytes (Hematoxylin-eosin staining; (A) bar 20 µm; (B) bar 20 µm).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Histopathological examination of the brain. (A) perivascular infiltrates of lymphocytes and histiocytes in the white and gray matter. (B) perivascular infiltrate of lymphocytes and few histiocytes at the base of the choroid plexus (Hematoxylin-eosin staining; (A) bar 50 µm; (B) bar 200 µm).
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