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Feline Infectious Peritonitis, or FIP, is caused by the mutation of coronavirus-es. There is no current cure for FIP and the disease is fatal. The virus needs intimate contact between cats in order to survive.
Feline Infectious Peritonitis, or FIP, is caused by the mutation of coronavirus-es. There is no current cure for FIP and the disease is fatal. The virus needs intimate contact between cats in order to survive.
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Feline Infectious Peritonitis, or FIP, is caused by the mutation of coronavirus-es. There is no current cure for FIP and the disease is fatal. The virus needs intimate contact between cats in order to survive.
Авторское право:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Доступные форматы
Скачайте в формате DOC, PDF, TXT или читайте онлайн в Scribd
Cats may not actually have nine lives, but through the munificence of Louise Averill, investigators at K-State are hard at work to find a cure for a disease that al-most invariably takes a cat’s life. Feline Infectious Peritonitis, or FIP, is caused by the mutation of coronavirus-es that attack the immune system. Coronavirus infections are fairly common in cats, but they do not always result in the development of FIP. There is no current cure for FIP and the disease is fatal. Although FIP is mainly associated with do-mestic cats, it is also known to occur in wild cats such as lions, leopards, lynx and especially cheetahs. FIP manifests in two forms, wet and dry, which exhibit different symptoms in affected cats. In the wet form, fluid collects within the abdomen of the cat, causing a distended belly. The symptoms may be accompanied by diarrhea, anorexia, chronic fever and malaise. The dry form of FIP is harder to diagnose, as the signs seen with this form mimic those associated with other diseases. In both forms, lesions may occur in the eyes and in internal organs. FIP is more prevalent in multiple cat households, as the virus needs intimate contact between cats in order to survive. It is not clear why FIP develops in some cats, but not in others. “There is something in the host that triggers the illness,” said Sanjay Kapil, D.V.M. “We need to perfectly understand the biology of the virus and the host, to find a weak link.” Kapil is one of the co-investigators benefiting from the funding that Louise’s gift made available. His expertise lies in the field of coronaviruses, and he has al-ready published in that field. “It was very exciting that Louise Averill happened to pick a disease caused by a coronavirus,” said Kapil. “The importance of private gifts like this is huge. There are no federal funds for [studying diseases in] cats and dogs.” Kapil hopes to isolate the susceptibility factors within cats that lead to the de-velopment of FIP. Once it is determined which cats are most susceptible and at risk, vaccines can be administered more efficaciously. Robert Hunter, Ph.D., hopes to take a pharmacological approach to treating FIP. With the help of Ruthanne Chun, D.V.M. and Heather Heeb, D.V.M., he will study two different drugs as possible treatments for FIP. “We hope to combine piroxicam, which can be toxic to the gastrointestinal system in cats, with cimetidine, an anti-ulcer drug, as an effective immune sys-tem stimulant,” said Hunter. “We’re working with normal cats first, and if this is safe, then we can move into clinical trials.” Piroxicam is already used in dogs for its anti-tumor effects. The combination of drugs could help stimulate the immune system in cats to overcome the virus.