New insights in feline asthma

Abstract :

The cat is the only animal species that spontaneously develops a clinical entity closely similar to human allergic asthma and commonly referred to as “feline asthma”. Feline asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lower airways characterised by intermittent respiratory distress due to bronchoconstriction, nonspecific bronchial hyperresponsiveness and airway remodeling at latter stages (e.g., epithelial erosions, smooth muscle hypertrophy, glandular hyperplasia). The molecular and cellular mechanisms that initiate and sustain naturally occurring feline asthma are not yet elucidated, although there is strong speculation that feline asthma is allergic in origin. Based on experimental sensitisation to allergens, models of feline asthma mimic many clinical, functional and lesional features of the naturally developing condition and provide further support in favour of the allergic hypothesis. Moreover, development and implementation of feline asthma models have greatly facilitated the search for novel therapies. This review resumes the current knowledge about naturally occurring feline asthma and addresses the contribution of experimental models to disease physiopathology, diagnosis and treatment.

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