986 
ANIMAL DISEASES 
MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY OF 2510 CATS BY STAGE OF QUARANTINE 
FY 1971 
I I Morbidity 
V///A Mortolity 
V\L rfe36 °^ 
i-i 
TOTAL I 
2 3 4 5 
STAGE OF QUARANTINE, WEEKS 
Figure 5. 
OVER 6 
line respiratory disease, the most common being 
feline pneumonitis and feline rhinotracheitis 
viruses.^ Numerous others have been isolated 
from the respiratory tracts of cats, but their 
roles in disease and their relationship to other 
isolates are not yet fully understood.^'' There 
are undoubtedly many viral, mycoplasmal, and 
bacterial agents involved in feline respiratory 
disease as seen in the quarantine colony. Most 
cases respond favorably to wide spectrum anti- 
biotics ; however, some become chronic or pro- 
gress to pneumonia with subsequent death. 
Ocular lesions compatible with feline rhino- 
tracheitis virus infection are frequently seen.^^ 
Endoparasites are found frequently, but 
cause no obvious clinical signs. About 75 per- 
cent of fecal flotation examinations are positive 
for hookworms, and 45 percent for round- 
worms. Fifty-five percent of the cats are found 
to harbor tapeworms. Cats are treated with an- 
thelminthics, based on results of fecal examina- 
tions during the first week of quarantine. 
Other disease conditions are recognized in 
low incidence among random source cats. They 
include, but are not limited to, dermatophytic 
fungal infections, infectious feline peritonitis, 
abscesses, oral and corneal ulcers, and enteritis. 
SUMMARY 
Morbidity and mortality rates among random 
source dogs and cats are high during their 45- 
day quarantine and conditioning period. The 
most serious problem among random source 
dogs is respiratory disease which is the princi- 
pal cause of mortality. Cats suffer their greatest 
mortality early in quarantine, caused primarily 
by feline panleukopenia. Respiratory disease is 
also of major importance and causes considera- 
ble morbidity and mortality in cats. Most infec- 
tious diseases are attributable to the exposure 
of the animals to a wide variety of pathogens 
while they are stressed during holding and 
transport by pounds and vendors before and 
during delivery to the research institutions. 
REFERENCES 
1. Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources News, 
National Research Council-National Academy of 
Sciences Vol. XII, No. 1 : iv, 1968. 
2. Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources News, 
National Research Council-National Academy of 
Sciences Vol. XIII, No. 1 : iv, 1969. 
3. Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources News, 
National Research Council-National Academy of 
Sciences Vol. XIV, No. 1 : vi, 1970. 
4. ZiNN, R. 0. The Research Dog. J.A.V.M.A. 153, 
No. 12, 1883-1886, 1968. 
5. PoTKAY, S., and Backer, J. The Research Dog: 
Random Source or Colony Reared, The Proceed- 
ings of The National Conference on Research Ani- 
mals In Medicine, NHLI, pp. , 1972. 
6. Archibald, J. The Lungs. In Canine Medicine, 
2nd ed., P. H. Hoskins, et al., editors, America 
Veterinary Publications, Santa Barbara, Calif., pp. 
171-172, 1964. 
7. Smith, K. 0. et al. Isolation of Viruses from Pri- 
mary Dog Cell Cultures and the Occurrence of 
Viral Antibody in Donor Dogs. Proc. of the Soc. 
for Expt. Biol. & Med. 133, 560-567, 1970. 
8. Knott, J. A Method for Making Microfilarial Sur- 
veys on Dog Blood. Trans, of the Royal Soc. of 
Tropical Medicine & Hygiene XXXIII, No. 2, 
191-196, 1939. 
9. Studdert, M. J., and Martin, M. C. Virus Dis- 
eases of the Respiratory Tract of Cats: 1. Isolation 
of Feline Rhinotracheitis Virus. Australian Veteri- 
nary Jour. 46:99-104, 1970. 
10. Wilner, B. I. Classification of the Major Groups 
of Human and Other Animal Viruses. 4th Edition, 
Burgess Publishing Co., Minniapolis, Minn., pp. 
43 & 106, 1969. 
11. Bistner, S. I., Shively, J. N., and Scott, F. W. 
Ocular Manifestations of Feline Herpesvirus Infec- 
tion. J.A.V.M.A. 159, No. 10, 1223-1237, 1971. 
DISCUSSION 
Charles B. Thayer, University of Iowa: 
Why did you pick the time of forty-five days for 
your quarantine period? 
