Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Testing cat spinal fluid antibodies to diagnose brain-involved feline
By Boettcher, Irene C et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2007·Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of anti-coronavirus antibody testing of cerebrospinal fluid for diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis involving the central nervous system in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with neurological symptoms was tested for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) by measuring antibodies in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The study found that while some cats with FIP had detectable antibodies in their CSF, this was also seen in cats with other conditions, like brain tumors. The results suggested that the antibodies in the CSF likely came from the blood rather than being produced in the central nervous system. Overall, testing CSF for these antibodies may not be very helpful in diagnosing FIP in cats with neurological issues.
People also search for: cat neurological symptoms · feline infectious peritonitis diagnosis · cat brain tumor symptoms · cat CSF testing for FIP
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the use of measuring anti-coronavirus IgG in CSF for the diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) involving the CNS in cats. DESIGN: Prospective study. SAMPLE POPULATION: CSF and serum samples from 67 cats. PROCEDURES: CSF and serum samples were allocated into 4 groups: cats with FIP involving the CNS (n = 10), cats with FIP not involving the CNS (13), cats with CNS disorders caused by diseases other than FIP (29), and cats with diseases other than FIP and not involving the CNS (15). Cerebrospinal fluid was evaluated for concentrations of erythrocytes, leukocytes, and total protein. Anti-coronavirus IgG was measured in CSF and serum by indirect immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS: CSF IgG (range of titers, 1:32 to 1:4,096) was detected in 12 cats, including 6 cats with neurologic manifestation of FIP, 4 cats with FIP not involving the CNS, and 2 cats with brain tumors. Cerebrospinal fluid IgG was detected only in cats with correspondingly high serum IgG titers (range, 1:4,096 to 1:16,384) and was positively correlated with serum IgG titers (r = 0.652; P < 0.01), but not with any other CSF parameter. Blood contamination of CSF resulted in < or = 333 erythrocytes/microL in cats with CSF IgG. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The correlation between serum and CSF IgG and the fact that CSF IgG was detected only in strongly seropositive cats suggested that CSF anti-coronavirus IgG was derived from blood. Measurement of anti-coronavirus IgG in CSF was of equivocal clinical use.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17223751/