New Strain of Calicivirus!!

The litter of stray kittens we've rescued was diagnosed with calicivirus on Monday. Today one of our adult furry family members started acting lethargic, feverish, and her eyes were runny. She was also acting like her back legs were hurting, and arthritis is another symptom of calicivirus. But all of our adult cats have been vaccinated against this! So I called the vet's office and was informed that a drug rep told them yesterday that there is a new strain of it, and that the vaccinations won't protect against this strain. The vet said they've seen a couple cases lately, and they hadn't seen any calicivirus in quite a while.

Just wanted to give everyone a heads-up, just in case....

Thanks for posting. My cat Rambo just went through a bout of calicivirus even though he to is vaccinated. The problem is that, from what i've read, the calicivirus is a very small, hardy virus and like all viruses mutates easily. The vaccine can only offer limited protection, and may only minimize the symptoms. My vet didn't want to use the word calicivirus...because that would mean admitting the shortcomings of the vaccine.

Calicivirus is unfortunately quite common in our stray/rescue population and we have lost a few kittens to it this year. It's a horrible virus, and I'll be praying for the kittens/adults in your care that are suffering from it.

Thank you for the info on the virus. I'm glad we caught it as early as we did. By the way, have you ever heard of the virus mutating to a form contagious to humans? I haven't been sick in quite some time, but last night I started feeling really bad, with a runny/stuffy nose, headache, sore throat and bronchial area, fever - it's weird. It seems strange that I'd come down with all of this while caring for 6 sick cats for 18-20 hours a day....

Thanks for posting about the mutation. That's scary, but good to know.
I'll be thinking of you and your cats and hoping for the best.
As for your symptoms, sounds like you have caught something, I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that's it's calicivirus though. You're probably run down after caring for all the kittens and worrying about your adult cat. Take it easy and try to rest up.

Thanks for posting about this. I don't have a lot of information, but I do know that occasionally viruses can be passed on to humans. Since this is a mutation, maybe you can call your doctor and ask about it just to be safe.

If your like me....the stress of sick kitties and long days seems to make it inevitable that I will get sick. Rest up when you can and see your doctor if it doesn't get any better.

Be sure to use updated vaccines. Most vaccines aren't well updated.