Feline neonatal isoerythrolysis in two litters

Abstract

The clinical, pathological and serological findings for feline neonatal isoerythrolysis (FNI) in two litters are described. In each litter one of four kittens died shortly after birth, two showed varying degrees of depression, jaundice and haemoglobinuria and one remained healthy (clinically unaffected). Three of the kittens with jaundice died and the necropsy findings included variable degrees of erythrophagocytosis in the spleen and liver and many casts containing haemoglobin in the tubules and collecting ducts of the kidney. Blood typing and haemocompatibility testing were performed on the surviving kittens, queens and sires. Both queens and the healthy kittens were Type B while both sires and the surviving affected kitten were Type A. In both litters the queens sera haemolysed the sires erythrocytes but did not affect the erythrocytes of the healthy kittens. The erythrocytes of the surviving affected kitten were haemolysed by the serum of its queen. The pathogenesis and treatment of FNI are discussed.

Comparison of five blood-typing methods for the feline AB blood group system

“…Therefore, it is crucial that veterinary clinicians accurately and swiftly identify a cat’s blood type 1–5,7,21. In the present study, 5 feline AB typing methods were compared for ease of use and accuracy.…”

“…Similarly, because only type B queens mated to type A or AB toms can produce type A and AB kittens at risk for neonatal isoerythrolysis,4,5,12 it is important to recognize the queens lacking the A antigen. For these reasons, it is crucial that a point-of-care assay be both sensitive and specific for detection of the A antigen.…”

Cytidine monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH) mutations associated with the domestic cat AB blood group

“…The ability to determine feline blood types is especially important because of the phenomena of neonatal isoerythrolysis [16-18] and transfusion reactions [19-22] between previously non-sensitized donors. Similar to the unrelated ABO system of humans, cats often possess alloantibodies against their opposite blood type.…”

Frequencies of blood type A, B and AB in non‐pedigree domestic cats in Turkey

“…These alloantibodies are only transferred through the colostrum to the kitten during the first day of life and cause destruction of red blood cells in type A or type AB kittens (Casal and others 1996). Clinical signs in affected kittens can be variable, ranging from occult to severe haemoglobinuria and death within the first few days of life (Hubler and others 1987, Giger 2000). Neonatal isoerythrolysis is believed to be a major cause of fading kitten syndrome and kitten mortality complex (Giger and others 1991a).…”