title: Positive immunostaining for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) in a Sphinx cat with cutaneous lesions and bilateral panuveitis.
abstract: Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a common, fatal, systemic disease of cats. This case report describes the antemortem diagnosis of FIP in a 2-year-old spayed female Sphinx cat that presented with a bilateral panuveitis and multiple papular cutaneous lesions. Histopathologically, the skin lesions were characterized by perivascular infiltrates of macrophages, neutrophils, with fewer plasma cells, mast cells, and small lymphocytes in the mid- to deep dermis. Immunohistochemistry for intracellular feline coronavirus (FeCoV) antigen demonstrated positive staining in dermal macrophages providing an antemortem diagnosis of a moderate, nodular to diffuse, pyogranulomatous perivascular dermatitis due to FIP infection. Obtaining an antemortem diagnosis of FIP can be a challenge and cutaneous lesions are rare in the disease. Recognition and biopsy of any cutaneous lesions in cats with panuveitis and suspected FIP can help establish an antemortem diagnosis of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, Canada. bianca.bauer@usask.ca
authors.forename: Bianca S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Moira E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.forename: Lynne S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Sandmeyer
authors.forename: Bruce H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Grahn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002415:Cats; D016765:Coronavirus, Feline / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D016766:Feline Infectious Peritonitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015864:Panuveitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011239:Prednisolone
keywords: feline infectious peritonitis; immunohistochemistry; panuveitis; skin