Abstract
In 2005, the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD) held its first meeting in Lyon, France. The Board is an independent group of 17 veterinarians, from 11 European countries, with expertise in immunology, virology, vaccinology and/or feline clinical medicine. The ABCD’s mission is to communicate scientific developments in feline infectious diseases and to establish a rational base for disease prevention and control. By the time the present issue of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (JFMS) is in your hands, the group will have met for the 25th time – improving existing guidelines, developing new ones and designing strategies to better protect cats from infectious disease.
This decade of concerted effort has produced 43 guidelines, 10 fact sheets and one brochure, which are intended to provide veterinarians with up-to-date knowledge on feline infectious diseases, and with recommendations for their management and prevention. The material has been published in Special Issues of the JFMS (July 2009, Volume 11, Issue 7 and July 2013, Volume 15, Issue 7).
The present Special Issue contains updates of the existing guidelines including the matrix vaccination guidelines, as well as articles on disinfection, on the risk of iatrogenic complications after blood transfusion and on feline injection-site sarcoma, which is frequently mentioned in the context of vaccination. These articles are followed by guidelines on some lesser-known infectious diseases. As some of the respective agents are emerging pathogens (eg, some streptococci) and/or carry a zoonotic potential (eg, some lungworms), these guidelines arm practitioners with the latest knowledge and make them aware of potential threats for cats (and humans). The articles were drafted during the meetings and are coauthored by all ABCD members, under the leadership of the respective first author. The article about feline injection-site sarcoma was graciously coauthored by Michael Day, of the School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, UK.
The ABCD has included evidence-based medicine (EBM) qualifications where appropriate, to indicate the reliability of a statement or publication; Albert Lloret again carried this responsibility. Thanks go to Margaret J Hosie, who improved the manuscripts linguistically, and to Karin de Lange, the Board’s secretary. Special thanks also go to the JFMS team for the great job of bringing the present Special Issue to completion.
The ABCD’s work depends on the enthusiasm of the Board members and their unpaid time investment; however, it would not have been possible without sponsorship. In particular, Jean-Christophe Thibault, of Merial, must be thanked for his commitment to respect the Board members’ independence. Florence Kahn-Ramos managed the Board’s logistics with humour and expertise. It is also Merial which sponsored the ‘ABCD Merial Young Scientist Award (AMYSA)’ for the eighth time this year.
For a decade, the ABCD has been communicating scientific developments concerning the prevention and control of feline infectious diseases
Which leads us to thoughts about the future of the ABCD. It will be an ongoing task to keep all guidelines at the ‘state of the art’ level of knowledge and, where appropriate, to produce new ones. In the past, our recommendations were aimed at veterinarians. For the future it is our goal to reach out also to cat owners, to make them aware of the practical measures (especially vaccinations) that their veterinarians can offer. It will be important to obtain more information about the prevalence of feline infectious diseases in Europe, in order to apply the most effective and efficient preventive measures. The ABCD is prepared to give input, to support and to carry out such projects.
And, finally, infectious diseases may cause discomfort, pain and are often fatal – they, therefore, constitute an important welfare issue. This is why the ABCD has recently forged a partnership with a dedicated European-based cat welfare organisation CAROcat (www.carocat.eu). We realise that health is not the only issue in welfare and wellbeing, but it is certainly an important one. The ABCD is prepared to continue its work to protect and improve feline health and welfare.
Addendum
Karin Möstl writes: When reviewing the first 10 years of the ABCD, the founding chairman of the Board, Prof. Dr.Dr.h.c.mult. Marian C Horzinek, must be acknowledged. He brought the idea of the ABCD to life and managed it during its first 10 years. At his own request he recently stepped down and handed his position over to me, but he will stay on as Board member. It is a demanding task to follow Marian in this function. On behalf of the ABCD Board members and as new Chairwoman, I want to express my thanks to the past Chairman and friend Marian.