Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Why feline coronavirus antibody and RNA tests disagree in cat fluid
By Lorusso, Eleonora et al.·Published in Research in veterinary science·2019·Department of Veterinary Medicine, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Discrepancies between feline coronavirus antibody and nucleic acid detection in effusions of cats with suspected feline infectious peritonitis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with suspected feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) had fluid samples taken to check for a virus called feline coronavirus (FCoV). The tests showed mixed results: while most samples tested positive for either the virus or antibodies, some had high antibody levels but no virus detected, and others had the virus but low antibody levels. This inconsistency makes diagnosing FIP challenging. The researchers suggest that using both tests together could improve the chances of accurately diagnosing this serious condition in cats.
People also search for: cat FIP symptoms · feline infectious peritonitis diagnosis · cat coronavirus test results
Abstract
Intra-vitam diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a challenge for veterinary diagnosticians, since there are no highly specific and sensitive assays currently available. With the aim to contribute to fill this diagnostic gap, a total of 61 effusions from cats with suspected effusive FIP were collected intra-vitam for detection of feline coronavirus (FCoV) antibodies and RNA by means of indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) assay and real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), respectively. In 5 effusions there was no evidence for either FCoV RNA or antibodies, 51 and 52 specimens tested positive by IIF and qRT-PCR, respectively, although antibody titres≥1:1600, which are considered highly suggestive of FIP, were detected only in 37 effusions. Three samples with high antibody levels tested negative by qRT-PCR, whereas 18 qRT-PCR positive effusions contained no or low-titre antibodies. qRT-PCR positive samples with low antibody titres mostly contained low FCoV RNA loads, although the highest antibody titres were detected in effusions with Cvalues>30. In conclusion, combining the two methods, i.e., antibody and RNA detection would help improving the intra-vitam diagnosis of effusive FIP.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29113645/