Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blood markers tested in cats with sudden bladder inflammation
By Parys, M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2018·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serum Cytokine Profiling in Cats with Acute Idiopathic Cystitis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with acute idiopathic cystitis (a painful bladder condition) had higher levels of certain inflammatory substances called cytokines in their blood compared to healthy cats. The study looked at 12 affected cats and found significant increases in specific cytokines that could help in diagnosing and monitoring the disease. While this research is still in early stages, it suggests that these cytokines might be useful for vets to assess the severity of the condition and how well treatments are working.
People also search for: cat bladder infection symptoms · feline idiopathic cystitis treatment · why is my cat peeing outside the litter box
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) is a common lower urinary tract disorder of domestic cats that resembles interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) in humans. Diagnosis of FIC is based on clinical signs and exclusion of other disorders because of a lack of specific pathologic findings or other objective biomarkers. Cytokines are potential noninvasive biomarkers to define the presence, severity, and progression of disease, and response to treatment. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this pilot study was to determine concentrations of selected cytokines in serum from healthy cats and cats with acute FIC. ANIMALS: Serum samples from 13 healthy cats and from 12 cats with nonobstructive acute FIC were utilized. METHODS: Multiplex analysis of 19 cytokines (CCL2, CCL5, CXCL1, CXCL12, CXCL8, Flt3L, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IL-12 (p40), IL-13, IL-18, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, PDGF-BB, SCF, sFas, and TNF-α) was performed with a commercially available feline-specific multiplex bead-based assay. RESULTS: Mean serum concentrations of IL-12 (p40; P < 0.0001), CXCL12 (P = 0.002), IL-18 (P = 0.032), and Flt3L (P = 0.0024) were significantly increased in FIC cats compared to healthy cats. GM-CSF, IL-1b, IL-2, and PDGF-BB were undetectable or detected in an insufficient number of cats to allow meaningful comparisons. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: We have identified increased serum concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines CXCL12, IL-12, IL-18, and Flt3L in FIC-affected cats. These findings suggest potential candidates for noninvasive biomarkers for diagnosis, staging, and therapeutic outcome monitoring of affected cats and provide additional insight into the etiopathogenesis of FIC.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29356123/