Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with feline leukemia virus had low white cells fixed by steroids
By Stavroulaki, Evangelia M et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2020·Clinic of Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Steroid-responsive neutropenia in a cat with progressive feline leukemia virus infection.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
An 8-month-old female domestic shorthair cat was brought to the vet with symptoms like not eating, being very tired, and having some stomach issues. Blood tests showed she had a very low white blood cell count due to feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infection. The vet started her on prednisolone, a steroid, which helped her blood counts return to normal within just three days. Unfortunately, after stopping the medication too soon, her symptoms returned, but she responded well again when the treatment was restarted. This case shows that even cats with serious FeLV infections can improve with the right treatment.
People also search for: cat not eating lethargy · feline leukemia treatment · prednisolone for cat anemia
Abstract
An 8-month-old female domestic shorthair cat was presented to the Animal Medical Center with anorexia, lethargy, and mild gastrointestinal signs. A CBC revealed a profound neutropenia, and serologic testing with an in-house test kit (SNAP FIV/FeLV Combo, IDEXX) was positive for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) antigen. Serial hematologic examinations during hospitalization showed a persistent neutropenia with occasionally severe anemia and thrombocytopenia. Prednisolone administration afforded complete hematologic remission within 3 days. Four weeks after the premature discontinuation of prednisolone, the patient relapsed; however, complete and prolonged hematologic remission was achieved after prednisolone was re-induced. Bone marrow aspiration cytology was consistent with immune-mediated destruction of the mature myeloid cells. steroid-responsive (likely immune-mediated) cytopenias rarely occur in cats with progressive FeLV infection. Although only a few cases of FeLV-positive, severely neutropenic cats that responded to immunosuppressive therapy have been reported, this case highlights that a grave prognosis should not always be given to these FeLV-positive cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33063876/