Feline infectious peritonitis

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is the name given to an uncommon, but usually fatal, aberrant immune response to infection with feline coronavirus (FCoV). Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is the name given to an uncommon, but usually fatal, aberrant immune response to infection with feline coronavirus (FCoV). FCoV is a virus of the gastrointestinal tract: most infections are either asymptomatic, or cause diarrhea, especially in kittens, as maternally derived antibody wanes at between 5 and 7 weeks of age. The virus is a mutation of feline enteric coronavirus (FECV). From the gut, the virus very briefly undergoes a systemic phase, returning to the gut, from where it is shed in the feces.The pathogenesis of FIP is complicated: the reductionist view is that it is entirely due to mutation of the virus, enabling it to enter, or replicate more successfully in, monocytes. The holistic approach is that FIP occurs as a result of a number of factors, including viral virulence (some strains are undoubtedly more virulent than others), and the immune status and general health of the host. FCoV is common in places where large groups of cats are housed together indoors (e.g. breeding catteries, animal shelters, etc.). The virus is shed in feces and cats become infected by ingesting or inhaling the virus, usually by sharing cat litter trays, or by the use of contaminated litter scoops or brushes transmitting infected microscopic cat litter particles to uninfected kittens and cats. FCoV can be spread in ways other than through feces as well. It can also be transmitted through different bodily fluids. FCoV is easily spread through direct contact between cats. The most common form of spreading is through saliva, as most multiple cat homes share food and water dishes. Another major form of spreading is grooming or fighting. When an infected cat grooms a healthy cat, they leave their contaminated saliva on the fur. Later, when the healthy cat goes to groom themselves, they ingest the contaminated saliva and then become infected.