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FIP
Feline Infectious Peritonitis
By Dr. Kelly Brodnik
Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) is a progressive
and fatal systemic immune-mediated disease of cats and kittens.
There are two forms of the virus, the "wet" form and
the "dry" form. This virus attacks vessel walls and
causes them to become "leaky" with concurrent inflammation
and necrosis. The virus is worldwide and can be seen in wild animals
such as the lion, cougar, jaguar, leopard, bobcat, serval, and
lynx. Transmission is through contact with oral and respiratory
secretions, urine and feces via ingestion or inhalation during
close contact between cats. Multicat households, shelters, catteries,
shows, etc are at highest risk because of the large number of
cats in a group confinement situation. Concurrent viral infection
with feline leukemia or feline immunodeficiency viruses is common.
Clinical Signs
The "wet" form of FIP can present
with fluid-swollen abdomen, fever, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea,
jaundice, anorexia, etc. If the wet form is present in the lungs
difficulty breathing, exercise intolerance, and "open mouth"
breathing (panting). The "dry" form can attack almost
any organ in the body mainly the kidneys, liver, the eyes, the
nervous system (seizures, shaking, balance problems, weakness,
facial nerve deficits, etc), lungs, and may be the cause of stillbirths,
abortions, or infertility in breeding animals.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is difficult because there is no
one specific blood test. The reason for this is that the virus
mimics many viruses that cats can be exposed to daily. The diagnosis
is usually made based upon a collection of data such as history
of exposure to positive cats, vaccination status, blood tests,
xrays, aspiration and testing of any abdominal or chest fluids,
along with ruling out concurrent infection with feline leukemia
or feline immunodeficiency viruses, among other causes.
Treatment
There is no current treatment for FIP. Although
there are rare spontaneous remissions in cats, no treatment has
been effective in prolonging the life or consistently inducing
remission in affected cats. Supportive treatment can be provided
such as drainage of fluid from the chest or abdomen to ease comfort,
rehydration, nutritional support, blood transfusions, antibiotics,
among others. Experimental research is being done using immune-stimulating
drugs such as interferon, AZT (medication used by humans infected
with HIV/AIDS) to treat FIP with only a minimal response to treatment.
Prevention
With no known cure for FIP, focus is on prevention
and irradication of the disease. Vaccination is available in an
intranasal form for at-risk cats (those in multicat households,
breeding colonies, animals that are frequently boarded or shown,
etc). One vaccination is given, then boosted one month after the
first, then boosted annually. All cats suspect of being infected
with FIP should be immediately isolated from other cats, not allowing
breeding or sales of cats/kittens infected with FIP, and using
good husbandry and hygeine when feeding, housing, or caring for
all cats. Avoiding overcrowding will help prevent transmission
of this disease.
