What disease does C felis cause in cats? ... Chlamydophila felis is mainly a cause of conjunctivitis (infection and inflammation of the delicate ...OurOtherSitesCloseSearchOurOtherSitesFelinechlamydophiladiseasereferstoinfectionwithatypeofbacteriumcalled Chlamydophilafelis.Thiswasformerlyknownas Chlamydiapsitacci var felis.Manydifferentstrainsofchlamydia-typebacteriaexist,mostbeinghighlyspeciesspecific(eachstrainusuallyonlyinfectingoneorasmallnumberofdifferentanimals/species).Thebacteriumthatinfectscatsisspecificallyadaptedtothem,whereitprimarilycausesocularinfectionsandconjunctivitis.Appropriatetreatmentcaneliminatetheorganismandresolvealltheclinicalsigns.Wherethediseaseisproblematicincoloniesofcats,vaccinationisalsoavailableandcanbehelpfulaspartofacontrolplan.Inkeepingwithothersimilarorganisms, Chalmydophilafelis (or Cfelis)isaveryfragilebacteriumandcannotsurviveforanysignificanttimeintheenvironment.Infectionisthereforemainlythroughdirectcontactbetweenanimals.Whatdiseasedoes Cfelis causeincats?Chlamydophilafelis ismainlyacauseofconjunctivitis(infectionandinflammationofthedelicatemembranes–conjunctiva–thatcovertheinnersurfaceoftheeyelidsandthewhitepartoftheeyeitself).Thebacteriainvadeandinfectthecellsoftheconjunctivaitselfcausinginflammationandoculardischarge.Clinicalsignsusuallydevelopwithinafewdaysofinfection,andstartsoffasawateryoculardischarge.Atfirstonlyoneeyemaybeinvolved,butwithinafewdaysthediseaseinvariablyaffectsbotheyes.Painanddiscomfortmeansaffectedcatsmayholdtheireyelidspartiallyclosed(blepharospasm)andasthediseaseprogresses,severeswellingandreddeningoftheconjunctivamaybeseen.Thedischargechangestoathickeryellowishnatureandoccasionallytheeyeinfectionisaccompaniedbymildsneezingandnasaldischarge.Occasionallythereisalaoamildfeverwhichcanresultinlethargyandinappetencebutcatsusuallyremainbrightandeatwell.Ifleftuntreated,theconjunctivitiscanoftenpersistsfortwomonthsormore,andcatsmaycontinuetoshedthebacteriainocularsecretionsformanymonths(andthusbeapotentialsou