Abstract:
The study aims to identify the
morphoclinical and paraclinical elements
useful in the diagnosis of FIP, given that the
symptoms are sometimes uncharacteristic,
varied and often similar to those of other
diseases. The morphoclinical features of 32
patients diagnosed with FIP were evaluated.
In 26 patients (81.25%), the predominant
symptomatology was similar: intermittent
fever, loss of appetite, weakness, dyspnoea
and physical signs of peritoneal fluid
collection. The peritoneal puncture fluid was
inflammatory, with numerous large
phagocytes (neutrophils and macrophages),
lymphocytes and, in some cases, red blood
cells. The cell blood count (CBC) showed
the existence of normocytic, hypochromic
and hypoplastic anaemia and the presence of
an active systemic inflammatory process,
confirmed by the presence of aggregated
platelets and segmented and vacuolated
neutrophils in the stained smear May
Grunwald Giemsa (MGG). Biochemical
blood examination revealed the evolution of
a physiopathological syndrome of
hepatocytolysis, increased tissue catabolism
and haemolytic anaemia. These results
confirm that FIP is usually a systemic
disease with polymorphic clinical signs, and
biochemical blood tests, unlike CBC, have
more prognostic value and lower value for
suspecting the disease. However, sometimes,
lesions and associated clinical signs in a
single organ predominate. Thus, in three
patients (9.37%), the predominant
symptomatology was hepato-digestive with
hepatocellular jaundice; one patient had
obvious clinical signs of renal failure, one
had signs of cortical syndrome, and one
patient showed periosteal lesions
(granulomatous osteitis). These results
indicate that some less common lesions in
cats, such as osteitis granulomatous, should
be included in the list of FIP lesions.
