occurrence of chlamydophila felis, feline herpesvirus 1 and calcivirus in domestic cats of iran

background and objectives: feline herpesvirus-1, feline calicivirus and chlamydophila felis are the main causes of feline upper respiratory tract disease. this study was conducted to identify of fehv-1, fcv and c. felis infections in domestic cat population and also to estimate the prevalence of each specific infection in iran. materials and methods: the ocular conjunctiva and oropharyngeal specimens obtained from 80 cats were examined using pcr and reverse transcription pcr. results: fehv-1 was detected in 23 (28.8%), fcv in 2 (2.5%) and c. felis in 16 (20%) cats. twelve cats(15%) had co-infection with 2 or 3 of the mentioned pathogens. ocular lesions were the most common clinical signs in the fehv-1 and c. felis infections whereas respiratory lesions were more observed with the fcv infections. it seems that there is an age-related tendency in the infected cats, meaning that the age of the c. felis positive cats was less than those with fehv-1 and fcv infections. conclusion: these results confirm the presence and show the prevalence of three major pathogens associated with upper respiratory tract disease for the first time in iran.