Can calicivirus recur with vaccine?

My Bengal cat contracted calcivirus in September from new kittens we got from a rescue group. The kittens were not sick and had been vaccinated, but must have been carrying the virus. He was very sick, but recovered after a lot of support. I took him to the vet 12/23/08 to have his FVCRP vaccine to make sure he was protected in the future. Around a week later, he began to act like his joints hurt, had respiratory symptoms and was generally lethargic and not himself. He was eating and using the litter box, so I gave him 2 weeks for the symptoms to resolve. I thought maybe he just had a cold. I took him in today and the vet thinks he is having a recurrence of calcivirus. He had fever and other symptoms. He was given fluids and antibiotics.

My question is this--Is it possible that the vaccine caused this recurrence? I have heard that Bengals are especially sensitive to some vaccines. If not, how often can  expect these recurrences and is it likely that my 3 other cats will catch this from him, if they are vaccinated yearly?

Thanks,

Marsha

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

I think that your cat may just have had a serious vaccine reaction which could have subdued his immune system causing him to be more susceptible to underlying infectious agents.  In the future it would be best to have vaccine titers performed on your cat's blood in lieu of the vaccines.  Vaccine titers are a very acceptable alternative to vaccines in cats who have been vaccinated in the past,  and especially for those who have had vaccine reactions.

[torinsmom]

Thanks for your quick reply. I was actually skeptical to get vaccines other than rabies(which is required) until he got so sick with calcivirus. I felt guilty for not getting him vaccinated against it and now I feel guilty for getting the vaccine. I will definitely ask for titers in the future. I believe he is due for his 3 years rabies in the fall. Is that likely to cause the same kind of reaction in him, and if so, what would my options be?

Marsha

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Ask your vet if he/she can perform titers for Rabies.  The only laboratory in the United States who performs Rabies titers is Kansas State University and it can be more expensive than the vaccine, but since your cat is so sensitive it may be your best option.