Combination Therapeutic Effect of Antibacterial and Antiviral Agents on Feline Chronic Gingivostomatitis Nonbounded to Prior Tooth Extraction Confirmed by Physical Signs and Clinical Biomarkers

Abstract

Background: Feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS) is refractory stomatitis in cats. The cure rate of tooth extraction selected as a primary surgical treatment is insufficient. Methods: 52 FCGS-suspected cats, including 22 tooth-extracted and 30 unextracted cats, were studied. Commercially available antiviral and antibacterial agents were orally administered as initial treatment, followed by the antiviral agent solely as maintenance therapy. We examined the influence of prior tooth extraction on the therapeutic efficacy of these two drugs by analyzing changes in some physical signs and clinical laboratory biomarkers. Results: Mass spectrometric analysis revealed the active ingredients of antibacterial and antiviral were Moxifloxacin and Molnupiravir, respectively. All physical signs (weight, appetite, activity level, grooming behavior, ptyalism, erythema) showed statistically significant improvements with combined administration of these drugs. Numbers of white blood cells, neutrophils and monocytes, as well as circulating levels of total protein, albumin, globulin, and serum amyloid-A all statistically significantly decreased with their administration (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). Conclusions: No statistically significant differences were detected between two FCGS groups in the changes in any of the above physical signs or clinical biomarker levels, indicating combination therapy with antibacterial and antiviral agents leads to effective treatment of FCGS, regardless of whether prior tooth extraction was performed or not.