Development of an ELISA for serological detection of feline morbillivirus infection

Feline morbillivirus (FeMV), a member of the family Paramyxoviridae, is an emerging virus that was discovered in 2012. Despite the importance of FeMV infection in cats because of its postulated involvement in kidney diseases, no simple serological assay has been reported in its detection. Here, FeMV phosphoprotein (P protein) was expressed and purified as a glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-fusion protein and used for an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect FeMV-specific antibodies. With a cutoff value determined by immunoblotting, anti-FeMV P protein was detected with this assay in 22 (22%) of the 100 cat plasma samples collected from various regions of Japan. This ELISA is useful for epidemiological and immunological studies, as well as for diagnosis of FeMV infection.