Investigation of the presence of gammaherpesvirus infections in cats with and without upper respiratory tract disease.

Gammaherpesviruses (GHVs) are a diverse and rapidly expanding group of viruses that have been associated with a wide range of disease conditions in both humans and animals. This study applied a degenerate pan-GHV PCR approach to investigate the presence of GHVs in domestic cats sampled in Ankara, Türkiye. A total of 331 diagnostic samples, including conjunctival, nasal, and oropharyngeal swabs, and EDTA-anticoagulated blood samples, were collected from 107 domestic cats (Felis catus) diagnosed with or without upper respiratory tract disease (URTD). All samples were investigated for the presence of feline gammaherpesviruses using a PCR assay with a degenerate pan-gammaherpesvirus primer set. Gammaherpesvirus DNA was detected in three samples (two conjunctival swabs; one nasal swab) obtained from three different cats. Following detection of GHV DNA, sequence analyses were performed using both generic primer pairs and Bovine gammaherpesivirus 4 (BoGHV-4) specific primer pairs targeting the glycoprotein B (gB) and thymidine kinase (TK) gene regions. In addition, all samples were tested for Felis catus gammaherpesvirus 1 (FcaGHV1); however, no FcaGHV1 DNA was detected in any of the samples analyzed. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the detected viral sequences clustered separately from BoGHV-4 strains previously identified in other animal species. To our knowledge, this study provides the first molecular evidence of BoGHV-4 infection in domestic cats in Türkiye. Further molecular and epidemiological characterization of these viruses may have important implications for understanding feline health, and may also contribute to a better understanding of gammaherpesvirus ecology in both domestic and free-ranging felid populations.