Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Platelet-bound antibodies found in cats with low platelets
By Kohn, Barbara et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2006·Clinic for Small Animals, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Platelet-bound antibodies detected by a flow cytometric assay in cats with thrombocytopenia.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with low platelet counts (thrombocytopenia) were tested for platelet-bound antibodies to understand the cause of their condition. Out of 42 cats, 19 tested positive for these antibodies, indicating that their immune system was mistakenly attacking their platelets. Many of these cats had underlying health issues like infections or cancers, while a couple had no identifiable cause. Only a few of the affected cats showed signs of bleeding. This suggests that immune-related problems are a significant cause of low platelet counts in cats, but primary immune-mediated thrombocytopenia is uncommon.
People also search for: cat low platelet count symptoms · cat thrombocytopenia treatment · why is my cat bleeding · feline infectious peritonitis signs · cat immune system disorders
Abstract
In cats, primary or secondary immune-mediated thrombocytopenia have rarely been described or characterised. The objective of this study was to determine platelet-bound antibodies (PBA) by a flow cytometric assay in both healthy and thrombocytopenic cats. Direct PBA testing was performed in 42 thrombocytopenic cats (platelet counts 6-179 x 10(9)/l, median 56 x 10(9)/l). Of these 42 cats, 19 had positive PBA test results, 17 of which were considered to have secondary immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (sITP). Underlying diseases included fat necroses (four cases), feline infectious peritonitis (three), feline leukaemia virus (two) or feline immunodeficiency virus (two) infections, lymphoma (two), leukaemia (one), hepatitis (one), pyelonephritis (one), or hyperthyroidism (one). In two cats, no underlying disease was found suggesting a primary immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (pITP). The PBA test was negative in 23 cats diagnosed with varying underlying diseases and in 47 healthy control cats with platelet values within the reference range. Only seven of the 42 cats with thrombocytopenia (platelet count 10-57 x 10(9)/l, median 34 x 10(9)/l) had spontaneous bleeding. This study suggests that immune-mediated destruction of platelets might be an important pathological mechanism for feline thrombocytopenia caused by various underlying diseases. In cats, pITP appears to be rarely diagnosed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16616569/