In a survey carried out in tissue specimens from 638 necropsied cats, 13 cases (2.03%) of feline infectious peritonitis were found. Eight of those (61.53%) were of the effusive or wet form and five had the dry non-effusive form of the disease. Ages of affected cats varied from 2-months to 3 yeas. Twelve affected cats (92.30%) were purebreds, five of these cats (38.47%) came from households with more than one cat and three of them came from the same comercial cat raising facility. The duration of clinical courses were 7-45 days and clinical signs included loss of weight, anorexia, diarrhea, jaundice, vomiting, swollen lymph nodes, and neurological disturbances. Necropsy findings, in the wet form included excess of yellowish viscous tanslucent or slightly opaque fluid (50ml-1 liter) in the peritoneal cavity and (in one case) thoracic cavity. Fibrinous exudate covered the serosal surfaces of abdominal organs imparting a whitish, granular, frost-like appearance to them. In the dry form there were multiple granulomatous foci underneath the serosal surface, which extended into the parenchyma of abdominal organs; these findings were particularly prominent in the kidneys. Corneal opacity was observed in one cat. Histologically, there were variable degrees of disseminated piogranulomatous vasculitis and perivasculitis particularly in arterioles. Pyogranulomatous meningitis or meningoencephalitis were observed in three cats with the dry form of feline infectious peritonitis.
feline infectious peritonitis; diseases of cats; viral diseases; coronavirus; pathology
