Successful Treatment of Feline Infectious Peritonitis Disease (FIP) with Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Abstract

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) caused by feline coronavirus (FCoV) is a common disease that leads to a cytokine storm and causes organ failure, with a high mortality rate in feline patients. This is the first case report on the detailed treatment of three cats with FIPs using allogeneic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of cell therapy in this disease in a shorter period with greater efficiency. Infected cats received five doses of bone marrow stem cells through intravenous infusion. During the treatment period, the subjects were kept in an isolated place and their clinical conditions were evaluated under the supervision of an internal specialist. This treatment resulted in the full recovery of all cats within 21 days. One cat was re-infected two months later after exposure to an infected cat, while two cats remained in remission at the time of writing this report. This case report suggests the effectiveness of using bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell therapy in the treatment of FIPs.