Dechra Lubrithal Eye Gel - 10g

Product Information

Fig. 4. Indirect immunofluorescence test to titrate antibody directed against Chlamydia felis; infected cell culture serves as the antigen substrate. Courtesy of The Feline Centre, Langford Vets, University of Bristol, UK Treatment Streeten BW, Streeten EA (1985): “Blue-body” epithelial cell inclusions in conjunctivitis. Ophthalmology 92(4), 575-579.

Dean R, Harley R, Helps C, Caney S, Gruffydd-Jones T (2005): Use of quantitative real-time PCR to monitor the response of Chlamydophila felis infection to doxycycline treatment. J Clin Microbiol 43(4), 1858-1864. Nakanishi H, Furuya M, Soma T, Hayashiuchi Y, Yoshiuchi R, Matsubayashi M, Tani H, Sasai K (2019): Prevalence of microorganisms associated with feline gingivostomatitis. J Feline Med Surg 21(2), 103-108. Vaccination should be considered for cats at risk of exposure to infection, particularly in multicat environments, and if there has been a previous history of Chlamydia infection. Please note that parcels weighing over 2kg may be sent via courier due to Royal Mail weight restrictions.Sanderson H, Vasquez M, Killion H, Vance M, Sondgeroth K, Fox J (2021): Fatal Chlamydia psittaci infection in a domestic kitten. J Vet Diagn Invest 33(1), 101-103. ABCD follows a recent nomenclature proposal to classify all 11 currently recognized Chlamydiaceae species in a single genus, the genus Chlamydia (Sachse et al., 2015); these species include Chlamydia felis, Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia psittaci. C. felis is the species typically seen infecting cats.

Immunocompromised cats should only be vaccinated when it is deemed absolutely necessary, and then an inactivated vaccine should be used. Zoonotic risk Chlamydia felis vaccines are non-core. Both inactivated and modified live (attenuated) vaccines, based on whole Chlamydia organisms, are available, but only as components of multivalent vaccine preparations. Vaccines are effective in protecting against clinical manifestation of the disease, however, not against occurrence of infection (Wills et al., 1987). No reliable data are available to compare the efficacy of inactivated versus modified live vaccines.

References

Chlamydia infection in cats can be treated very effectively with antibiotics. Systemic antibiotics are more effective than local topical treatment (Sparkes et al., 1999). Tetracyclines are generally regarded as the antibiotics of choice for chlamydial infections (Dean et al., 2005). Doxycycline has the advantage of requiring only a single daily dose and is most frequently used at a daily dosage of 10 mg/kg orally, although 5 mg/kg orally twice daily can be used if vomiting occurs with single day dosing. Administration of the hyclate preparation of doxycycline should always be followed by food or water because of the possibility of it inducing oesophagitis in cats with incomplete swallowing. Studies have shown that treatment must be maintained for 4 weeks to ensure elimination of the organism (Dean et al., 2005). In some cats, recrudescence may be noted some time after discontinuation of therapy. Continuation of treatment for two weeks after resolution of clinical signs is recommended. Tetracyclines have potential side effects in young cats although these appear to be less common with doxycycline than oxytetracycline. Alternative antibiotics may be considered if this is a concern. Both enrofloxacin and pradofloxacin have shown some efficacy against Chlamydia spp. (Gerhardt et al., 2006; Hartmann et al., 2008), although pradofloxacin would be preferred over enrofloxacin in view of the diffuse retinal degeneration and acute blindness that has been reported following enrofloxacin treatment in cats, albeit very rarely. A 4-week course of therapy with clavulanic acid potentiated amoxicillin may represent the safest choice of alternative to doxycycline in young kittens (Sturgess et al., 2001). Vaccination Di Francesco A, Piva S, Baldelli R (2004): Prevalence of Chlamydophila felis by PCR among healthy pet cats in Italy. New Microbiol 27(2), 199-201.

Wills JM, Gruffydd-Jones TJ, Richmond SJ, Gaskell RM, Bourne FJ (1987): Effect of vaccination on feline Chlamydia psittaci infection. Infect Immun 55(11), 2653-2657. Consult your vet prior to use if your pet is on any other eye medication or if they are showing any of the following signs: pain or irritation, red or inflamed eyes, excessive tear production, opaque discharge or if your pet is scratching or rubbing at its eyes. Dechra Academy launches interactive CPD modules for unintended feline weight loss keyboard_arrow_down Gunn-Moore DA, Werrett G, Harbour DA, Feilden H, Gruffydd-Jones TJ (1995): Prevalence of Chlamydia psittaci antibodies in healthy pet cats in Britain. Vet Rec 136(14), 366-367. Harley R, Herring A, Egan K, Howard P, Gruffydd-Jones T, Azuma Y, Shirai M, Helps C (2007): Molecular characterisation of 12 Chlamydophila felis polymorphic membrane protein genes. Vet Microbiol 124(3-4), 230-238.

Context Menu

Vaccination of kittens generally begins at 8-9 weeks of age with a second injection 3-4 weeks later at around 12 weeks of age. Limited information is available about the duration of immunity. There is some evidence that previously infected cats can become vulnerable to re-infection after a year or more. Annual boosters are recommended for cats that are at continued risk of exposure to infection. Disease control in specific situations Shelters Graham EM, Taylor DJ (2012): Bacterial reproductive pathogens of cats and dogs. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 42(3), 561-582, vii. Azuma Y, Hirakawa H, Yamashita A, Cai Y, Rahman MA, Suzuki H, Mitaku S, Toh H, Goto S, Murakami T, Sugi K, Hayashi H, Fukushi H, Hattori M, Kuhara S, Shirai M (2006): Genome sequence of the cat pathogen, Chlamydophila felis. DNA Res 13(1), 15-23. In most cats, conjunctival shedding ceases at around 60 days after infection, although some may continue to become persistently infected (O’Dair et al., 1994). C. felis has been isolated from the conjunctiva of untreated cats for up to 215 days after experimental infection (Wills, 1986). Immunity Passive immunity Lang GH (1992): Ontario. Prevalence of antibodies of Coxiella and Chlamydia spp. in cats in Ontario. Can Vet J 33(2), 134.

Lipman NS, Yan LL, Murphy JC (1994): Probable transmission of Chlamydia psittaci from a macaw to a cat. J Am Vet Med Assoc 204(9), 1479-1480. The genome of C. felis has been sequenced (Azuma et al., 2006). There is extensive nucleotide sequence homology between the genomes of various Chlamydia species. The membrane contains important families of proteins: the major outer membrane proteins (MOMPs) and polymorphic outer membrane proteins (POMPs). The organism attaches to sialic acid receptors of cells. It has a unique pattern of replication within cells, involving reticulate bodies and elementary bodies. The latter represent the infectious forms of the micro-organism that are released following cell lysis. Some C. felis isolates appear to contain plasmids, and this may be related to their pathogenic ability (Everson et al., 2003). Epidemiology O’Dair HA, Hopper CD, Gruffydd-Jones TJ, Harbour DA, Waters L (1994): Clinical aspects of Chlamydia psittaci infection in cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus. Vet Rec 134(15), 365-368. Everson JS, Garner SA, Lambden PR, Fane BA, Clarke IN (2003): Host range of chlamydiaphages phiCPAR39 and Chp3. J Bacteriol 185(21), 6490-6492. Sturgess CP, Gruffydd-Jones TJ, Harbour DA, Jones RL (2001): Controlled study of the efficacy of clavulanic acid-potentiated amoxycillin in the treatment of Chlamydia psittaci in cats. Vet Rec 149, 73-76.

Epidemiology

Sparkes AH, Caney SM, Sturgess CP, Gruffydd-Jones TJ (1999): The clinical efficacy of topical and systemic therapy for the treatment of feline ocular chlamydiosis. J Feline Med Surg 1(1), 31-35. Fig. 2. Purulent conjunctivitis and chemosis in a cat with Chlamydia felis infection. Courtesy of Eric Déan Diagnosis Direct detection methods