“…As further support of the protective role of immunity, FIP occurs frequently in young and old cats, that have a less efficient immune system (Pedersen, 2009). Moreover, the comparison of results from FCoV-infected, clinically healthy cats and from cats with FIP showed some differences regarding indicators of innate or cell-mediated immunity, such as lymphocyte subsets, that decrease in blood and lymph nodes in FIP cats but not in FCoV-positive cats (Kipar et al, 1999(Kipar et al, , 2001Paltrinieri et al, 2003), α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), that increases and is hyposialylated in FIP cats (Ceciliani et al, 2004;Duthie et al, 1997), possibly depressing neutrophil functions (Rossi et al, 2013) and transiently increases and is hypersialylated in FCoV-positive cats Paltrinieri et al, 2007), and proinflammatory cytokines or interferon-γ (IFN-γ) whose expression and serum concentration decreases in FIP cats and increases in FCoV-positive cats (Gelain et al, 2006;Giordano and Paltrinieri, 2009;Gunn-Moore et al, 1998;Kiss et al, 2004).…”