Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Infection in cats - prevention and treatment guidelines
By Addie, Diane D et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2020·European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases www.abcdcatsvets.org.·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: infection in cats: European guidelines from the ABCD on prevention and management.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A cat with eye problems, such as uveitis or cataracts, may be suffering from a microsporidian infection, which is more common in stray or feral cats. Diagnosing this infection can be tricky, as blood tests may show antibodies even in healthy cats, but a more reliable method is PCR testing, especially when examining cataractous lenses. Treatment typically involves giving fenbendazole for three weeks and performing surgery to remove the infection from the eyes. With proper care, cats can recover from this infection, but pet owners should be cautious, as it can pose a risk to people with weakened immune systems.
People also search for: cat eye problems · cat cataract treatment · feline uveitis infection · microsporidia in cats · cat infection treatment
Abstract
OVERVIEW: is a common obligate intracellular microsporidian parasite of rabbits that is increasingly recognised as a pathogen of cats and other mammalian species. These guidelines aim to review the literature on felineinfection and provide recommendations on prevention and management. INFECTION IN CATS: infection should be considered as a differential diagnosis in cases of feline uveitis and cataract formation. It is not significantly associated with either chronic kidney disease or meningoencephalitis. Einfection is more common in stray or feral cats than in pet cats. DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT: Serological tests for antibody detection in the blood are easy to perform and can be useful for diagnosis, but their specificity is low as antibodies have been found in apparently healthy cats. PCR appears to be more sensitive than histopathology for diagnosis, and is more sensitive when performed on cataractous lenses compared with aqueous humour, although ease of sampling is an obvious limitation. Treatment is with fenbendazole for 3 weeks and phacoemulsification to remove microsporidia from cataractous lenses. ZOONOTIC RISK: Eis a potential zoonotic agent, and there is a particular risk to immunocompromised humans posed by infected rabbits. Albeit infrequent, spore shedding has been identified in cats, so care should be taken around infected cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33100172/