Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Testing eye fluid to diagnose feline infectious peritonitis in cats
By Angelica Stranieri et al.·Published in Veterinary Sciences·2024·Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences (Divas), University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Clinicopathological and Molecular Analysis of Aqueous Humor for the Diagnosis of Feline Infectious Peritonitis
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old domestic shorthair cat was diagnosed with non-effusive feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) after showing symptoms like weight loss and lethargy. To confirm the diagnosis, the veterinarian analyzed a sample of the cat's eye fluid using tests for protein levels and a virus test (RT-PCR). The results showed that higher protein levels in the fluid were linked to FIP, and the combination of cytology and RT-PCR tests helped support the diagnosis. Unfortunately, while these tests can be helpful, they are not always definitive, and the cat's prognosis can vary.
People also search for: cat FIP symptoms · feline infectious peritonitis diagnosis · cat eye fluid test for FIP
Abstract
Background: This study was designed to assess the diagnostic utility for FIP of cytology, protein measurement and RT-PCR for feline coronaviruses (FCoV) on aqueous humor (AH), since little information is currently available. Methods: AH samples (<i>n</i> = 85) were collected post-mortem from 13 cats with effusive FIP (E-FIP), 15 with non-effusive FIP (NE-FIP) and 16 without FIP, to perform cytology (<i>n</i> = 83) and RT-PCR (<i>n</i> = 66) and to calculate their sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR−). The protein concentration was measured on 80 fluids. Results: The proportion of RT-PCR positive samples did not differ among groups, while positive cytology was more frequent in samples with FIP (<i>p</i> = 0.042) or positive RT-PCR (<i>p</i> = 0.007). Compared with other groups, the protein concentration was higher in samples with NE-FIP (<i>p</i> = 0.017), positive RT-PCR (<i>p</i> = 0.005) or positive cytology (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The specificity of cytology together with RT-PCR, cytology alone, RT-PCR alone and cytological proteinaceous background were 90.0%, 84.6%, 70.0%, 61.5%, and the LRs 3.48, 2.65, 1.83, 1.64, respectively. However, their sensitivities were low (34.8–63.0%) and their LR− high (0.60–0.72). Conclusions: Based on the LR+, cytology and/or RT-PCR may support the diagnosis when the pre-test probability of FIP is high. The concentration of intraocular protein is a promising marker, especially in NE-FIP.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11050207