Thoughts wanted: any relationship between feline herpes and the GI disease?

Another post had me thinking about this.  My thinking is simple.  I have been told that up to 90% of cats have feline herpes.  And, it appears, that a very high number of cats have  GI disease, IBS, IBD, pancreatis, lymphoma.  Just sayin'...thoughts appreciated.

I've never heard that 90% of cats have feline herpes!  Where did you get that information?  Honestly, I've never had a cat diagnosed with it.  I do now people who have cats with herpes, and I do know people with cats with GI issues, and, yes, some of them have both, but certainly not all. 

In my mind, they are unrelated...two totally different systems in the body.  But I'm not a doctor. 

One of the vets whom I took Obi to see when he was diagnosed, or was being diagnosed, with GI disease, I cannot recall which one.  I know it is a very high percentage, especially if you get a shelter kitty.  They pass it from one to another in saliva, so that includes licking and also sneezing.

mrsgreenjeens said:

I've never heard that 90% of cats have feline herpes! Where did you get that information? Honestly, I've never had a cat diagnosed with it. I do now people who have cats with herpes, and I do know people with cats with GI issues, and, yes, some of them have both, but certainly not all.

In my mind, they are unrelated...two totally different systems in the body. But I'm not a doctor.

Click to expand...

mrsgreenjeens , yes, exposure to FHV-1 is very high! In fact, it has been found to be as high as 97%. http://www.crcal.org/eventos/28-02-13/Articulo FHV-1.pdf

"Serological studies show that FHV-1 is widespread in the feline population worldwide, with reported exposure rates of up to 97%. (1) Following exposure to FHV-1, more than 80% of cats become persistently infected. (2) Of these, 45% will subsequently shed virus spontaneously or as a result of natural stress situations, while around 70% will shed virus in response to corticosteroid administration. (2)"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21515221
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2012/495830/

FHV is responsible for 80% - 90% of URIs in cats: http://www.merck-animal-health-usa.com/diseases/130_120799/ProductDetails_130_121016.aspx

(Calicivirus, coronavirus, and mycoplasma are responsible for most of the rest).

myrnafaye said:

Another post had me thinking about this.  My thinking is simple.  I have been told that up to 90% of cats have feline herpes.  And, it appears, that a very high number of cats have  GI disease, IBS, IBD, pancreatis, lymphoma.  Just sayin'...thoughts appreciated.

Click to expand...

Interesting thought, but as mrsgreenjeens says, totally different systems in the body. IBS is very rare in cats.

Here is information on IBD:

http://feline-nutrition.org/health/feline-inflammatory-bowel-disease-nature-and-treatment
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/06/01/feline-ibd-symptoms.aspx
http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.co...pment-feline-diarrhea-sponsored-nestle-purina

Current science on IBD in humans. As you can see, herpes has no role in this.

http://news.yale.edu/2011/05/12/immune-system-malfunction-may-trigger-inflammatory-bowel-disease
http://news.emory.edu/stories/2012/09/immune_system_compensates_for_leaky_gut/
http://www.nature.com/ajgsup/journal/v1/n1/full/ajgsup20124a.html


Here is information on pancreatitis:

http://www.2ndchance.info/pancreatitisdogXenoulis2008.pdf
http://www.iowapetadoptions.com/sites/default/files/manual/sag.pdf
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/10/05/pancreatitis-in-pet-cats.aspx


Here is information on lymphoma in cats. It's a BIG, broad subject, but a decent general overview:

http://www.2ndchance.info/lymphomacat-Gieger2011.pdf
http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/cancer/c_ct_lymphoma





Insofar as we douse our cats with antibiotics for everything, including URIs that are caused by a virus, then yes, perhaps indirectly FHV is responsible, because by constantly throwing antibiotics at our cats, we destroy and disrupt the microbiome of the gut that keeps us healthy and helps prevent inflammation. After all, 65% - 70% of our immune system is located in our gut, and all of the diseases you listed are diseases of inflammation, usually in the gut given IBD and pancreas are gut problems, and GI lymphoma is the most common form in cats.


Edited to add: interestingly, a research team at the Univ of Arizona has found "a previously unknown mechanism that prevents the immune system from going into overdrive, shedding light not only on how our body controls its response to pathogens but on conditions such as autoimmune diseases, allergies and chronic inflammation as well."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130723103456.htm

Great post and citations,  LDG.  So what I am getting is:  its possible.  Not proven but possible.

myrnafaye said:

Great post and citations,  LDG.  So what I am getting is:  its possible.  Not proven but possible.

Click to expand...

Not from the information I provided. :dk:

I do think that - like in humans - overuse of antibiotics is damaging our cats' long term health. Many vets do prescribe antibiotics when a cat has a URI to treat potential secondary infections. Sometimes there are actual secondary infections. And yes, our microbiome is extremely important to long term health.


There is an article in a recent Time magazine special, "Great Scientists." I bought itfor Gary. He said, you HAVE to read this!!!! It is a short article titled, "The Future of Medicine" at the very back of the magazine. The first few paragraphs are a little background on one man researching the topic - the human microbiome. The article says

"Today the quest to identify the many denizens of the human body has become one of the most compelling areas of medical research. We know that each one of us hosts up to 100 trillion microorganisms, which means that as many as 9 of every 10 cells in your body don't belong to you. These creatures live in you and on you, teeming in your eyes and nasal passages, your skin, intestines, armpits, gut, mouth, genitals and belly button. Scientists call this vast collection of life-forms the human microbiome.

That we are colonized by bacteria, fungi and viruses isn't news. But in the past decade or so, what has become clear is the diversity of the microbiome and how powerfully it shapes our lives. Our microbial inhabitants are not just freeloaders. We rely on them to help us digest food, fight off infection, keep our metabolism running properly and perhaps even regulate our moods.

"I think it's been an important shift in perspective, from thinking of ourselves as an organism that has bacteria on us to thinking about ourselves as an ecosystem," says Rob Knight, a pioneering microbial ecologist at the University of Colorado.

...This new ability to probe the microbiome comes not a moment too soon. Scientists are concerned that antibiotics, the wonder drugs that helped increase the average life span after World War II, are overused. These powerful medicines -- fed to cattle and handed out almost reflexively by many doctors -- kill good bugs along with the bad, while making bad bugs increasingly pernicious. Our tiny partners can bounce back, but sustained assaults may be annihilating key species, disrupting the microbial balance within our bodies and leading to widespread inflammation and immune disorders.... "


I highlighted in bold to emphasize


Martin Blaser has published quite a few works on the importance of not using antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. Here is an overview

Antibiotics: Killing off Beneficial Bacteria... for Good? http://www.wired.com/2011/08/killing-beneficial-bacteria/ at Wired

This is pay-for article. "Antibiotic overuse: Stop the killing of beneficial bacteria." Summary: "Concerns about antibiotics focus on bacterial resistance — but permanent changes to our protective flora could have more serious consequences, says Martin Blaser." http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v476/n7361/full/476393a.html at Nature

"Eradicating dangerous bacteria may cause permanent harm" http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110824131547.htm at ScienceDaily

"In Some Cases, Even Bad Bacteria May Be Good" http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/h...nk-between-antibiotics-and-obesity.html?_r=1& at The New York Times

WEll, speaking as an allied health professional and as a "patient", I know many in human medicine share the concern about the overuse of antibiotics.  It is not easy to get one these days.  The theory is that overuse is creating bacteria that are highly resistant.  I think also, yes, they may weaken our bodies' own ability to fight these illnesses.

Another concern in Vet medicine is the overuse of vaccines, and the impact on the immune system.  I vaccinate my cats - once - for distemper and for rabies.  Thats it.  I check for FELV before I expose them to my household.