Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Myocarditis and heart thickening linked to FIV in five cats
By Rolim, V Machado et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2016·Department of Veterinary Pathology, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Myocarditis caused by Feline Immunodeficiency Virus in Five Cats with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Five young cats, aged 1 to 4 years, were brought in with breathing problems, lethargy, and in one case, vomiting. They were found to have myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) linked to feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection, along with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (a condition where the heart muscle thickens). Upon examination, the vets noted significant heart enlargement and inflammation in the heart tissue. Unfortunately, the cats had severe heart issues due to the viral infection, and the prognosis was not favorable.
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Abstract
Viral infections have been implicated as the cause of cardiomyopathy in several mammalian species. This study describes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and myocarditis associated with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection in five cats aged between 1 and 4 years. Clinical manifestations included dyspnoea in four animals, one of which also exhibited restlessness. One animal showed only lethargy, anorexia and vomiting. Necropsy examination revealed marked cardiomegaly, marked left ventricular hypertrophy and pallor of the myocardium and epicardium in all animals. Microscopical and immunohistochemical examination showed multifocal infiltration of the myocardium with T lymphocytes and fewer macrophages, neutrophils and plasma cells. An intense immunoreaction for FIV antigen in the cytoplasm and nucleus of lymphocytes and the cytoplasm of some macrophages was observed via immunohistochemistry (IHC). IHC did not reveal the presence of antigen from feline calicivirus, coronavirus, feline leukaemia virus, feline parvovirus, Chlamydia spp. or Toxoplasma gondii. The results demonstrate the occurrence of FIV infection in inflammatory cells in the myocardium of five cats with myocarditis and HCM.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26797583/