Feline infectious peritonitis: A comprehensive evaluation of clinical manifestations, laboratory diagnosis, and therapeutic approaches

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the clinical and laboratory characteristics of naturally occurring feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and estimate the median survival time of FIP cats treated with prednisolone to guide further therapeutic planning.

Materials and methods: In this retrospective study, data from a total of 116 cats with effusion were fully recorded. Forty-five FIP-diagnosed cats were enrolled for analysis.

Results: The study findings indicate that FIP was a disease affecting cats aged 1-2 years and was highly prevalent among male cats. Clinical manifestations of FIP affected the digestive (60%), hematological (53.3%), respiratory (33.3%), neurological (6.7%), and ocular (4.4%) systems. Blood profiles revealed mild anemia, lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, hypoalbuminemia, hyperglobulinemia, and an albumin to globulin ratio of 0.4. Fluid analysis and cytology of FIP cats demonstrated a transparent yellow fluid with a protein content of 6 gm/dl and a total nucleated cell count of approximately 5,000-10,000 cells. During the observation period, FIP cats treated with prednisolone exhibited a median survival time of 31 days.

Conclusion: Confirming FIP cases can be challenging; therefore, a tentative diagnosis of FIP must be made with care. This study provided practical diagnostic tools to diagnose FIP based on clinical signs and multiple abnormalities, which allowed for more efficient and rapid detection.

Keywords: Cats; coronavirus; effusion; feline infectious peritonitis; prednisolone.

Figure 1.. The age group of the strongly suspected FIP cases. The number of cats is presented on the X-axis.

Figure 2.. Frequency of clinically affected systems of strongly suspected FIP cats. The digestive system included abdominal distension, diarrhea, and vomiting. The hematological system included pale mucous membrane, anemia, icterus, and dehydration. The respiratory system included dyspnea and panting. The neurological system included paresis, paralysis, ataxia, and seizure. The ocular system included uveitis, corneal edema, anisocoria, and retinal detachment.

Figure 3.. Box plot of (a) PCV, (b) albumin levels, (c) globulin levels, and (d) total protein levels between the initial and final visits of cats diagnosed with effusive FIP. Boxes represent the interquartile range, while the horizontal bar within each box represents the median. Upper and lower bars and outliers (opened circles) are plotted using NCSS software.

Figure 4.. Mean and median survival time of FIP cats treated with prednisolone (P) at an immunosuppressive dosage of 2 mg/kg/day, compared to cats receiving only symptomatic treatments (no prednisolone, NP).