title: Whole blood cytokine profiles in cats infected by feline coronavirus and healthy non-FCoV infected specific pathogen-free cats.
abstract: In this study, the cytokine profiles of clinically healthy cats naturally infected with feline coronavirus (FCoV), of cats with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and of specific pathogen-free (SPF) cats were investigated in whole blood using a traditional reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay and a semi-quantitative method of analysis based on computerised quantification of positive bands. The low inter-assay coefficient of variation recorded demonstrated that this method is highly repeatable. Compared with SPF cats, cytokine production was upregulated in most of the samples from FCoV-positive non-symptomatic cats. The appearance of a case of FIP in the cattery was associated with an increased expression of cytokines, in particular there was an increased production of IL-1beta and IFN-gamma, suggesting that these cytokines might protect infected cats from the disease. This hypothesis was also supported by the low levels of IFN-gamma recorded in blood from cats with FIP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Hygiene and health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Gelain
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meli
authors.forename: Saverio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paltrinieri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D016765:Coronavirus, Feline / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D016766:Feline Infectious Peritonitis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D012333:RNA, Messenger