Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Test using eye fluid to diagnose feline infectious peritonitis in cats
By Felten, Sandra et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2018·Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Utility of an immunocytochemical assay using aqueous humor in the diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats suspected of having feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) often showed signs like eye inflammation (uveitis), making diagnosis difficult. Researchers tested a new method using a sample from the eye fluid to see if it could accurately identify FIP. Out of 25 cats with confirmed FIP, the test correctly identified 16, but it also gave false positives in some cases. While the test showed some promise, its accuracy was limited, indicating that more research is needed to improve diagnosis for this serious condition.
People also search for: cat eye inflammation FIP · feline infectious peritonitis diagnosis · uveitis in cats treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: In cats suffering from feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) without effusion, antemortem diagnosis is challenging. Uveitis is common in these cats. It was the aim of this study to evaluate sensitivity and specificity of an immunocytochemical assay (ICC) in aqueous humor of cats suspected of having FIP. ANIMALS STUDIED: The study included 26 cats with immunohistochemically confirmed FIP and 12 control cats for which FIP was suspected due to similar clinical or laboratory changes, but which suffered from other diseases confirmed via histopathology. PROCEDURES: All aqueous humor samples were collected postmortem by paracentesis. ICC was carried out as avidin-biotin complex method. Sensitivity, specificity, and the overall accuracy including 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. RESULTS: Immunocytochemistry was positive in 16 of 25 cats with FIP and 2 of 11 control cats (one cat with lymphoma, one with pulmonary adenocarcinoma). Aqueous humor samples of one cat with FIP and of one control cat were excluded from statistical analysis. Sensitivity was 64.0% (95% CI: 42.5-82.0); specificity 81.8% (95% CI: 48.2-97.7); and overall accuracy 69.4% (95% CI: 51.9-83.7). CONCLUSIONS: As false-positive results occurred and specificity is most important in the diagnosis of FIP, the diagnostic utility of ICC in aqueous humor is limited. Further studies are required to clarify the origin of false-positive ICC results.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28493448/