Update on feline calicivirus: new trends

Feline calicivirus (FCV) is an important cause of feline upper respiratory tract disease worldwide. Over 100 different strains have been identified. In 1998, an outbreak of a febrile hemorrhagic-like syndrome caused by a genetically-distinct calicivirus was reported in several cats in northern California, and since that report, several other outbreaks have been reported across the United States. Because of the high mortality and transmissibility of this condition, it is essential that clinicians be familiar with the disease to permit its rapid recognition and institution of control measures. The purpose of this article is to discuss the clinical signs, epidemiology, diagnosis, control, and treatment of FCV infections, with particular reference to these hemorrhagic-like fever FCV infections.