Feline infectious peritonitis and its differential diagnosis*

Abstract

A condition comparable in all respects to feline infectious peritonitis has been recognized in England for the past year or more. The symptoms and course of the disease as it has been encountered in this country, together with the macroscopic post‐mortem lesions, are described; the diagnosis and differential diagnosis are discussed. Résumé. Depuis un peu plus d'un an, on observe, en Angleterre, une condition comparable à tous égards à la péritonite infectieuse féline. L'auteur décrit les symptômes et l'évolution de la maladie, telle qu'on la recontre dans ce pays, ainsi que les lésions macroscopiques, examinées à l'autopsie; il présente le diagnostic et le diagnostic différentiel. Zusammenfassung. Ein Zustand, der in jeder Hinsicht der infektiösen Katzenperitonitis vergleichbar ist, wurde in England während des vergangenen Jahres oder länger beobachtet. Die Symptome und der Verlauf der Krankheit, wie sie in diesem Lande aufgetreten ist, werden zusammen mit den bei der Autopsie festgestellten makroskopischen Läsionen beschrieben und die Diagnose und die Differentialdiagnose werden besprochen.

Feline infectious peritonitis: a coronavirus disease of cats

“…FIP is observed at about the same frequency in cats of all 0020-45 10/78/1I00-0623$02.00 0 1978 BSAVA ages (Robison, Holzworth & Gilmore, 1971), breeds (Hardy & Hurvirz, 1971;Ward & Pedersen, 1969) and in both sexes (Pedersen, 1976c;Ward & Pedersen, 1969). The clinical symptoms of the disease are not very characteristic: initially, the affected animal shows anorexia, elevated rectal temperature and general depression which may persist over a longer period of time; in classical cases these symptoms are accompanied by a gradual abdominal distension which, in combination with a progressive emaciation, often results in a dehydrated animal with an enlarged, undulating abdomen (Colby & Low, 1970;Ingram, 1971;Pedersen, 1976c;Robison et al, 1971;Ward & Pedersen, 1969;Wolfe & Griesemer, 1966). Neurological signs (Slauson & Finn, 1972) (including posterior ataxia, incoordination, hyperaesthesia and convulsions), ocular lesions (Campbell & Reed, 1975;Carlton, Lavignette & Szech, 1973;Doherty, 1971;Gelatt, 1973;Slauson & Finn, 1972), icterus and scrota1 swelling are encountered with varying frequency (Bland van den Berg & Botha, 1977;Holmberg & Gribble, 1973;Pedersen, 1976c;Ward & Pedersen, 1969 Pedersen, 1976~).…”

“…The condition was identified in the USA (cf. Pedersen, 1976c) in the early fifties and was diagnosed in Great Britain for the first time some ten years later (Ingram, 1970;Ishmael & Howell, 1968). Subsequently, it has been reported from Canada (Stevenson, Tilt & Purdy, 1971), Holland (Mieog & Richter, 1971), Japan (Konishi et al, 1971), South Africa (Colly, 1970), Switzerland (Stiinzi & Revel, 1973), Germany (Tuch, Witte & Wuller, 1974), Australia (Jones, & Hoog, 1974;Watson, Huxtable & Bennett, 1974), Belgium (Pastoret, Gouffaux & Henroteaux, 1974), Denmark (Flagstad, personal communication) and France (Auclair-Semere & Groulade, 1975).…”

Feline Infectious Peritonitis

“…Infectious peritonitis has been extensively reported in domestic cats in North America (Disque et al 1968;Ward and Pederson 1969;Colby and Low 1970;Colgrove and Parker 1971;Robison et a1 1971;Stevenson et a1 1971) and has also been recognised in England (Ingram 1970(Ingram , 1971Wilkinson 1970), Ireland (Hartigan and Wilson 1972), the NetherIands (Mieog and Richter 1971) and Japan (Konishi et a1 1971). In South Africa the disease has occurred in large Felidae (Collv 1971).…”

Feline infectious peritonitis

“…A bacterial peritonitis must also be considered. 4 Feline infectious peritonitis is diagnosed mainly on the basis of clinical signs and laboratory data. A CBC should show a moderate leukocytosis with a left shift, lymphopenia, eosinopenia, and anemia.…”