Feline Red Blood Cell Parasites

iTasker S, Peters IR, Papasouliotis K, et al. Description of outcomes of experimental infection with feline haemoplasmas: copy numbers, haematology, Coombs' testing and blood glucose concentrations. Vet Microbiol. Nov 18 2009;139(3-4):323-332./ibr / br / Feline hemoplasma infections are caused by three separate organisms that infect red blood cells, but only one of these, iMycoplasma haemofelis/i, causes hemolysis with significant disease. However, investigation of clinical parameters following experimental infection with each of the three organisms has not been done. The investigators studied ten cats infected with iMycoplasma haemofelis/i (“HF” group), three cats infected with candidatus iM. haemominutum/i (“HM” group), and three cats infected with candidatus iM. turicensis/i (“TU” group). The cats were followed for 85 days post infection. Using quantitative PCR, they found the TU cats had significantly lower amounts of organisms in their blood than the other groups, and were negative for the organism by 45 days after infection. All HF cats developed significant anemias. While HM and TU group cats did not have anemia or clinical signs, both groups experienced a drop in red blood cell levels for the first three weeks post infection. Only the HF cats had positive results on the Coombs assay, indicating the presence of antibodies to red blood cells. Severe hypoglycemia has been reported in some animals other than cats following hemoplasma infections. In this study, blood glucose levels for all three groups remained in the normal range. While the size of the groups was small, particularly the HM and TU groups, this study does demonstrate the increased pathogenicity of iM. haemofelis/i compared to the other hemoplasmas. [MK]br / a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19615832?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumordinalpos=1"PubMed Abstract/abr / br / bRelated articles:/bbr / Peters IR, Helps CR, Willi B, Hofmann-Lehmann R, Tasker S. The prevalence of three species of feline haemoplasmas in samples submitted to a diagnostics service as determined by three novel real-time duplex PCR assays. Vet Microbiol. 2008;126(1-3):142-150.br / a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17689890?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumordinalpos=5"PubMed Abstract/abr / br / Sykes JE, Terry JC, Lindsay LL, Owens SD. Prevalences of various hemoplasma species among cats in the United States with possible hemoplasmosis. J Am Vet Med Assoc. Feb 1 2008;232(3):372-379.br / a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18241101?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumordinalpos=4"PubMed Abstract/abr / br / More on cat health: a href="http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/Health.html"Winn Feline Foundation Library/abr / a href="http://www.facebook.com/WinnFelineFoundation"Join us on Facebook/abr / a href="http://www.twitter.com/WinnFeline"Follow us on Twitter/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"Providing expert cat health information and supporting cat health research since 1968.img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1170470470666539402-9045854499563337729?l=winnfelinehealth.blogspot.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=IAzfbAiOAZU:pfFdQezeph4:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=IAzfbAiOAZU:pfFdQezeph4:UT3xtbGYFzA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=UT3xtbGYFzA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=IAzfbAiOAZU:pfFdQezeph4:qj6IDK7rITs"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=IAzfbAiOAZU:pfFdQezeph4:F7zBnMyn0Lo"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?i=IAzfbAiOAZU:pfFdQezeph4:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=IAzfbAiOAZU:pfFdQezeph4:V_sGLiPBpWU"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?i=IAzfbAiOAZU:pfFdQezeph4:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=IAzfbAiOAZU:pfFdQezeph4:oCFASsrFxfc"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=oCFASsrFxfc" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation/~4/IAzfbAiOAZU" height="1" width="1"/

Recurrence of Feline Uroliths

iAlbasan H, Osborne C, Lulich J, et al. Rate and frequency of recurrence of uroliths after an initial ammonium urate, calcium oxalate, or struvite urolith in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2009;235(12):1450-1455./ibr / br / This case-controlled study was performed through the Minnesota Urolith Center. The objective was to determine the frequency of and interval until recurrence after initial ammonium urate, calcium oxalate and struvite uroliths in cats and whether breed, age, or gender was associated with increased risk for recurrence. In 1998, 4,435 cats were evaluated for an initial urolith episode and between 1998 and 2003 for recurrence episodes. Ammonium urate uroliths were found in 221 cats and 13.1% had an initial recurrence with a mean interval to recurrence of 22 months. Calcium oxalate uroliths were found in 2,393 cats and 7.1% had an initial recurrence with a mean interval of 25 months. Of 1,821 cats with struvite uroliths, 2.7% had a recurrence with a mean interval of 29 months. In all three types of uroliths, the largest percentage was located in the lower urinary tract. The study noted a low frequency of recurrence after struvite uroliths. The authors also noted it is likely that calcium oxalate and purine uroliths require at least 6 months to recur. Infection-induced struvite uroliths constitute an estimated 1 to 2% of uroliths retrieved from cats. An association was found in this study between recurrent episodes after initial calcium oxalate and struvite uroliths and older cats. The study also indicated a possible association between Persians and ammonium urate uroliths. Norwegian Forest Cats and Manx cats are at an increase risk for development of calcium oxalate uroliths, yet the number of these cats was small in this study. The majority of the uroliths (94%) found in the first recurrent episodes were identical to that of the initial urolith. Therefore, the composition of an initial urolith may be used as an estimate of the composition of subsequent uroliths. [VT]br / a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20001780?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumordinalpos=1"PubMed Abstract/abr / br / bRelated articles:/bbr / Osborne CA, Lulich JP, Kruger JM, Ulrich LK, Koehler LA. Analysis of 451,891 canine uroliths, feline uroliths, and feline urethral plugs from 1981 to 2007: perspectives from the Minnesota Urolith Center. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 2009;39(1):183-197.br / a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19038658?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumordinalpos=6"PubMed Abstract/abr / br / Lulich JP, Osborne CA. Changing paradigms in the diagnosis of urolithiasis. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 2009;39(1):79-91.br / a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19038652?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumordinalpos=10"PubMed Abstract/abr / br / More on cat health: a href="http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/Health.html"Winn Feline Foundation Library/abr / a href="http://www.facebook.com/WinnFelineFoundation"Join us on Facebook/abr / a href="http://www.twitter.com/WinnFeline"Follow us on Twitter/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"Providing expert cat health information and supporting cat health research since 1968.img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1170470470666539402-2270490895477840054?l=winnfelinehealth.blogspot.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=zjUwcmzbMCw:jm3Yi0PweP0:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=zjUwcmzbMCw:jm3Yi0PweP0:UT3xtbGYFzA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=UT3xtbGYFzA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=zjUwcmzbMCw:jm3Yi0PweP0:qj6IDK7rITs"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=zjUwcmzbMCw:jm3Yi0PweP0:F7zBnMyn0Lo"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?i=zjUwcmzbMCw:jm3Yi0PweP0:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=zjUwcmzbMCw:jm3Yi0PweP0:V_sGLiPBpWU"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?i=zjUwcmzbMCw:jm3Yi0PweP0:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=zjUwcmzbMCw:jm3Yi0PweP0:oCFASsrFxfc"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=oCFASsrFxfc" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation/~4/zjUwcmzbMCw" height="1" width="1"/

Toxoplasma and Bartonella in Pennsylvania Cats

iDubey JP, Bhatia CR, Lappin MR, et al. Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Bartonella spp. antibodies in cats from Pennsylvania. J Parasitol 2009;95:578-580./ibr / br / iToxoplasma gondii/i and iBartonella/i spp. are zoonotic pathogens that infect cats. Good prevalence studies of these organisms in cats are lacking. The researchers examined blood samples from 210 cats at a humane shelter in Bensalem, Pennsylvania from January to July 2008 for antibodies to these pathogens. Nearly 20% of the cats tested positive for iT. gondii/i, which is lower than previous studies in other geographic areas both in the United States and elsewhere in the world. That may be due to the fact that nearly a quarter of the cats tested were kittens. Seroprevalence increased with the age of the cat. Over 25% of cats tested were seropositive for iBartonella/i spp. Seventeen cats had antibodies to both organisms, but there was no correlation between iT. gondii/i and iBartonella/i spp. seropositivity. [MK]br / a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19061304?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumordinalpos=1"PubMed Abstract/abr / br / bRelated articles:/bbr / DeFeo ML, Dubey JP, Mather TN, et al. Epidemiologic investigation of seroprevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in cats and rodents. Am J Vet Res 2002;63:1714-1717.br / a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12492287?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumordinalpos=6"PubMed Abstract/abr / br / Lappin MR, Breitschwerdt EB, Brewer M, et al. Prevalence of Bartonella species antibodies and Bartonella species DNA in the blood of cats with and without fever. J Feline Med Surg 2009;11:141-148.br / a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18760647?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumordinalpos=5"PubMed Abstract/abr / br / More on cat health: a href="http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/Health.html"Winn Feline Foundation Library/abr / a href="http://www.facebook.com/WinnFelineFoundation"Join us on Facebook/abr / a href="http://www.twitter.com/WinnFeline"Follow us on Twitter/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"Providing expert cat health information and supporting cat health research since 1968.img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1170470470666539402-859302526096773268?l=winnfelinehealth.blogspot.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=TEl0IDC-bkM:aL5YY8aF2gw:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=TEl0IDC-bkM:aL5YY8aF2gw:UT3xtbGYFzA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=UT3xtbGYFzA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=TEl0IDC-bkM:aL5YY8aF2gw:qj6IDK7rITs"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=TEl0IDC-bkM:aL5YY8aF2gw:F7zBnMyn0Lo"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?i=TEl0IDC-bkM:aL5YY8aF2gw:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=TEl0IDC-bkM:aL5YY8aF2gw:V_sGLiPBpWU"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?i=TEl0IDC-bkM:aL5YY8aF2gw:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=TEl0IDC-bkM:aL5YY8aF2gw:oCFASsrFxfc"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=oCFASsrFxfc" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation/~4/TEl0IDC-bkM" height="1" width="1"/

Thyroid Hormone Testing

Riutland BE, Nachreiner RF, Kruger JM. Optimal testing for thyroid hormone concentration after treatment with methimazole in healthy and hyperthyroid cats. J Vet Intern Med 2009;23:1025-1030./ibr / br / Hyperthyroidism is one of the most common endocrinopathies of cats and its prevalence is increasing in recent years. Methimazole is commonly used to treat hyperthyroidism and its action is to suppress thyroid hormone synthesis. The optimal time for blood sampling to monitor therapeutic efficacy, and the amount of variation in thyroid hormone concentrations 24 hours post administration of methimazole have not been determined. In this study, healthy cats were given steadily increasing doses of oral methimazole until a steady state of thyroid suppression was achieved. It was found that there is a significant and sustained suppression of total thyroxine (TT4), total tri-iodothyronine (TT3), free T3, and free T4 concentrations for 24 hours after a once daily methimazole administration in healthy cats. The time to thyroid gland suppression in healthy cats was 2-5 weeks. In addition, a retrospective study of 889 thyroid profiles from methimazole-treated hyperthyroid cats was reviewed. The review noted that in hyperthyroid cats, there was no significant relationship between thyroid hormone concentrations and time post-pill or dosing interval. The conclusion was timing of blood sampling after oral methimazole administration does not appear to be a significant factor when assessing response to treatment. [VT]br / a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19678886?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumordinalpos=6"PubMed Abstract/abr / br / bRelated articles:/bbr / Trepanier L, Hoffman S, Kroll M, et al. Efficacy and safety of once versus twice daily administration of methimazole in cats with hyperthyroidism. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2003;222:954-958.br / a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12685785?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumordinalpos=9"PubMed Abstract/abr / br / Trepanier LA. Pharmacologic management of feline hyperthyroidism. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 2007;37:775-788, vii.br / a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17619011?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumordinalpos=13"PubMed Abstract/abr / br / More on cat health: a href="http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/Health.html"Winn Feline Foundation Library/abr / a href="http://www.facebook.com/WinnFelineFoundation"Join us on Facebook/abr / a href="http://www.twitter.com/WinnFeline"Follow us on Twitter/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"Providing expert cat health information and supporting cat health research since 1968.img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1170470470666539402-3864330904410831236?l=winnfelinehealth.blogspot.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=pwuh58pnzMc:2Ka0Ivb5MvI:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=pwuh58pnzMc:2Ka0Ivb5MvI:UT3xtbGYFzA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=UT3xtbGYFzA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=pwuh58pnzMc:2Ka0Ivb5MvI:qj6IDK7rITs"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=pwuh58pnzMc:2Ka0Ivb5MvI:F7zBnMyn0Lo"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?i=pwuh58pnzMc:2Ka0Ivb5MvI:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=pwuh58pnzMc:2Ka0Ivb5MvI:V_sGLiPBpWU"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?i=pwuh58pnzMc:2Ka0Ivb5MvI:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=pwuh58pnzMc:2Ka0Ivb5MvI:oCFASsrFxfc"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=oCFASsrFxfc" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation/~4/pwuh58pnzMc" height="1" width="1"/

Feline Injection Site Sarcomas

iShaw, S. C., M. S. Kent, et al. (2009). "Temporal changes in characteristics of injection-site sarcomas in cats: 392 cases (1990-2006)." Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 234(3): 376-380.br / /ibr / The first suggestion that vaccine injections and the development of sarcomas in cats were associated was in October, 1991. Histologic and epidemiologic evaluations have supported a causal relationship between injections and the development of sarcomas. The most commonly indicated vaccines were those for rabies virus and feline leukemia (FeLV). In November 1996, the Vaccine-Associated Feline Sarcoma Task Force (VAFSTF) was formed and one of its original tasks was to standardize injection sites. Prior to the recommendations, the majority of vaccinations were given in the interscapular region. The VAFSTF recommendations were to administer the rabies vaccine in the right rear leg as distal as possible, the FeLV vaccine in the left rear leg as distal as possible, and the FVRCP in the right shoulder. This study examined injection-site sarcomas (ISS) in 392 cats in order to evaluate changes in anatomic location and histologic classification of these sarcomas and the signalment of affected cats before and after publication of the VAFSTF recommendations. The results of the study indicated a high proportion of ISS in the interscapular region prior to publication of the recommendations (53.4%) and a significant proportional decrease (39.5%) after publication and likely adoption of the recommendations. There was also a significant decrease in lateral thoracic ISS that suggested tumors in these locations might have been caused by interscapular injections that were aberrantly administered. However, after 1996 the proportion of ISS on the limbs of cats and on the lateral aspects of the abdomen increased. This creates cause for concern because lateral abdominal tumors can be challenging, if not more difficult to treat, than those in the interscapular region. These results lead the authors to recommend that the VAFSTF recommendations be adhered to more strictly with emphasis on placement of injections in limbs as distally as possible. [VT]br / a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19210260?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumordinalpos=2"PubMed Abstract/abr / br / bRelated articles:/bbr / Romanelli, G., L. Marconato, et al. (2008). "Analysis of prognostic factors associated with injection-site sarcomas in cats: 57 cases (2001-2007)." J Am Vet Med Assoc 232(8): 1193-9.br / a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18412533?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumordinalpos=5"PubMed Abstract/abr / br / Kirpensteijn, J. (2006). "Feline injection site-associated sarcoma: Is it a reason to critically evaluate our vaccination policies?" Vet Microbiol 117(1): 59-65.br / a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16769184?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumordinalpos=12"PubMed Abstract/abr / br / More on cat health: a href="http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/Health.html"Winn Feline Foundation Library/abr / a href="http://www.facebook.com/WinnFelineFoundation"Join us on Facebook/abr / a href="http://www.twitter.com/WinnFeline"Follow us on Twitter/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"Providing expert cat health information and supporting cat health research since 1968.img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1170470470666539402-4419762105743315323?l=winnfelinehealth.blogspot.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=1JGVyUbctgs:RsG-RNYJ-Oc:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=1JGVyUbctgs:RsG-RNYJ-Oc:UT3xtbGYFzA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=UT3xtbGYFzA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=1JGVyUbctgs:RsG-RNYJ-Oc:qj6IDK7rITs"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=1JGVyUbctgs:RsG-RNYJ-Oc:F7zBnMyn0Lo"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?i=1JGVyUbctgs:RsG-RNYJ-Oc:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=1JGVyUbctgs:RsG-RNYJ-Oc:V_sGLiPBpWU"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?i=1JGVyUbctgs:RsG-RNYJ-Oc:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?a=1JGVyUbctgs:RsG-RNYJ-Oc:oCFASsrFxfc"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation?d=oCFASsrFxfc" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CatHealthNewsFromTheWinnFelineFoundation/~4/1JGVyUbctgs" height="1" width="1"/

Understanding Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

Grant, C. K., E. A. Fink, et al. (2009). "Improved health and survival of FIV-infected cats is associated with the presence of autoantibodies to the primary receptor, CD134." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106(47): 19980-5.

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is an important pathogen of cats, causing lifelong infection and ultimately death from immunosuppression. These researchers examined antibody levels to various viral and cellular proteins in stored serum samples collected from FIV-infected cats over 30 years. They found very strong antiviral responses to several virus proteins, including the major surface protein of the virus. Interestingly, they also found evidence of antibodies to the feline cellular protein used by the virus to attach to and infect the cell (CD134). Even more remarkable, they found that this antibody only bound the cellular protein when the viral attachment protein was bound to it. Thus, binding of the virus to this cellular protein reveals a site on the cellular protein that is not normally “visible” to the immune system of the cat, leading to antibody production to this cellular protein. In a laboratory experiment, they found that not only did antibodies to the virus protein inhibited virus infection, but antibodies to the cellular protein targeted by the virus did so as well. When they evaluated antibody levels from cats of known health status, the highest percentage of cats positive for this cell-specific antibody were healthy and asymptomatic. In contrast, samples negative for this antibody were largely acquired from cats that were ill. In assessing viral load in the blood of 20 infected cats and comparing that to antibody levels to the CD134, the researchers found that cats with high viral loads (poorer prognosis) did not have measurable levels of antibody to the CD134. The findings are consistent with a role for anti-cell receptor antibodies in protection from virus spread and disease progression. [MK]
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Related articles:
Hosie, M. J., D. Addie, et al. (2009). "Feline immunodeficiency ABCD guidelines on prevention and management." J Feline Med Surg 11(7): 575-84.
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Levy, J., C. Crawford, et al. (2008). "2008 American Association of Feline Practitioners' feline retrovirus management guidelines." Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery 10(3): 300-316.
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Successful Cat Adoptions from Shelters

Weiss, E. and S. Gramann (2009). "A comparison of attachment levels of adopters of cats: fee-based adoptions versus free adoptions" J Appl Anim Welf Sci 12(4): 360-370.

Some involved with animal welfare are critical of free adoptions of adult cats, believing it devalues the cat in the adopter’s eyes, or it may attract adopters who are unable to fulfill the financial responsibilities of cat ownership. Advocates believe waiving the fee for adult cats will enhance rates of adoptions, and provide opportunities to educate owners who may otherwise adopt from neighbors or may respond to “free to good home” ads. This study examined the attachment of adopters to their cats in relation to payment or fee waiver for adoption. One hundred seventy-three adopters from a rescue facility in Maine participated in the study, of which 95 paid no adoption fee for their adult cat, and 78 paid a $75 adoption fee. Whether or not an adopter paid the fee was a function of when the shelter was running promotional campaigns for adoptions by offering fee waivers. Using an attachment scale consisting of a series of statements that the adopters would indicate agreement or disagreement (1-strongly disagree, 4-strongly agree), pet attachment was rated. Statistical analysis of the results showed no significant difference in the two groups’ attachment to their adopted cat. The authors conclude “implementing a free adult cat adoption program in shelters around the country could dramatically affect the lives of thousands of shelter cats who otherwise either would reside in the shelter for months awaiting adoption or be euthanized. The ultimate goal of shelters is to adopt their animals into loving homes with families who are committed to the success of their pet. The free adult cat adoption program may accomplish these goals, and shelters can feel confident in implementing the program.” [MK]
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Shore, E. R. (2005). "Returning a recently adopted companion animal: adopters' reasons for and reactions to the failed adoption experience." J Appl Anim Welf Sci 8(3): 187-198.
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Neidhart, L. and R. Boyd (2002). "Companion animal adoption study." J Appl Anim Welf Sci 5(3): 175-192.
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Evaluating Feline Coagulation

Tholen, I., C. Weingart, et al. (2009). "Concentration of D-dimers in healthy cats and sick cats with and without disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)." J Feline Med Surg 11(10): 842-6.

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is an acquired syndrome characterized by excessive activation and loss of regulation of coagulation. This leads to a potentially life-threatening deposition of fibrin throughout the microvasculature. This syndrome usually derives from one of various underlying diseases. D-dimers concentrations are considered an important criterion for diagnosis of DIC in humans. This study measured D-dimers concentrations in 48 cats with various underlying diseases and 20 healthy cats. Twelve of the 48 sick cats were diagnosed with DIC based on the presence of at least three of the following criteria: thrombocytopenia, prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time or thrombin time, schistocytes, and/or a reduced antithrombin activity. The D-dimer latex agglutination test (LA) was positive for eight of 12 cats with DIC and for 16 of 36 sick cats without DIC. All healthy control cats had negative D-dimer LA tests. The comparison of sick cats with DIC and those without DIC revealed a specificity and sensitivity of the test of 56% and 67%; comparison between healthy cats and sick cats with DIC revealed a specificity and sensitivity of 100% and 67%. The D-dimer LA test appears to have limited value for diagnosis of DIC in cats. [VT]
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Brazzell, J. L. and D. L. Borjesson (2007). "Evaluation of plasma antithrombin activity and D-dimer concentration in populations of healthy cats, clinically ill cats, and cats with cardiomyopathy." Vet Clin Pathol 36(1): 79-84.
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Aglepristone for Feline Mammary Hyperplasia

Jurka, P. and A. Max (2009). "Treatment of fibroadenomatosis in 14 cats with aglespristone - changes in blood parameters and follow-up." Vet Record 165(22): 657-660.

Mammary hyperplasia (also called fibroadenomatosis or fibroadenomatous hyperplasia) is a benign inflammatory condition commonly seen in young cycling queens. It may also be seen in pregnant queens, and in male or female cats treated with progestins. The hyperplasia can be severe, leading to tissue necrosis, ulceration and infection. The etiology is suspected to be an exaggerated response to natural progesterone or synthetic progestins, but the disease is also rarely reported in sterilized male or female cats with no history of progestin therapy. In spayed queens, ovarian remnant syndrome may be the initiating cause. Many drug therapies have been tried, but the current drug of choice is the progesterone receptor blocker aglepristone (Alizine®, Virbac). Widely available in many countries around the world, it is not available in North America. The drug is also used for pregnancy termination and treatment of cystic endometrial hyperplasia/pyometra complex. The researchers, based in Warsaw, diagnosed 14 female cats with mammary hyperplasia and treated them with aglepristone. The cats were followed up for 12 months after the end of treatment. On average, complete clinical remission of the mammary hyperplasia was achieved 3.9 weeks after initiation of treatment. If the cat had been previously treated with a progestin, a longer treatment period with aglepristone was recommended. After treatment, six queens were bred and four successfully produced at least one litter of kittens. This research confirms the safety and efficacy of aglepristone for treatment of mammary hyperplasia in cats. [SL]
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Gorlinger, S., H. S. Kooistra, et al. (2002). "Treatment of fibroadenomatous hyperplasia in cats with aglepristone." J Vet Intern Med 16(6): 710-3.
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Nak, D., Y. Nak, et al. (2009). "Follow-up examinations after medical treatment of pyometra in cats with the progesterone-antagonist aglepristone." Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery 11(6): 499-502.
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