Kozlenko T. Feline calicivirus: spreading, diagnostics and treatment

The dissertation is devoted to the study of the spreading infection of feline calicivirus in the city of Kiev. The peculiarities of the epizootic process and the immunobiological properties of caliciviruses have been established. A method for obtaining a specific immunoglobulin against calicivirus and improving the treatment scheme for cats with calicivirus disease has been developed. The dissertation presents the results of epizootiological monitoring of feline calicivirus in Kyiv from 2012 to 2017. The nosological profile was established and the proportion of calicivirus in the infectious pathology of cats in the city of Kyiv was shown to be 6.2 %. As a result of clinico-epizootiological and virological methods of research a widespread infection was determined (26.8 %) of calicivirus among cats in the city of Kyiv with individual and group maintenance. The presence of both acute and chronic forms of infection has been confirmed. Five isolates of the causative agent of calicivirus from diseased animals have been indicated, their cultural and immunogenic properties have been studied: calicivirus is not pathogenic for laboratory (guinea pigs) animals. It was found that the injecting to laboratory animal’s isolates of feline calicivirus caused them to produce antibodies in the titres of 5.3–6.6 log2. The method of obtaining antigen of calacivirus, which includes its purification, concentration, inactivation is developed. An effective scheme of rabbits’ immunization has been developed to obtain a hyperimmunic serum against feline calicivirus virus. Antigen was injected in combination subcutaneously. Globulin fraction of proteins was isolated by absorbing sulfuric acid ammonia. The fraction of purified immunoglobulins G was obtained. The optimal scheme of treatment of feline calicivirus was developed and the expediency of use against calicivirus globulin in complex therapy was proved, efficiency of which was 88 %.