Thanks for all the great info ...
Gloria
At 11:01 PM 1/20/2007, you wrote:
Here is one more link on diagnosing FIP, the
percentages that rule FIP in or out are interesting.
<http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1316&articleid=212>http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1316&articleid=212
An excerpt from this site:
"How is FIP diagnosed?
Because we can not rely totally on the antibody
test for a diagnosis, we must combine the
history, clinical signs, laboratory results,
FCoV test result, and possibly radiographs to
come to a "probable" diagnosis. The only way to
be absolutely sure of an FIPV infection is to
<http:\\www.peteducation.com/http:\\www.peteducation.com/http:\\www.peteducation.com/javascript:popupWin1('/dictionary_term.cfm?term=biopsy&cls=1',
50, 50, 350, 300)>biopsy affected tissues and
have them examined by a veterinarian
pathologist. As a result, most often the
diagnosis is made after the cat has died, a
postmortem examination has been performed and tissues have been examined.
In an attempt to try to make the best diagnosis
we can while the cat is still alive, we can
follow these criteria for a cat with clinical signs of FIP:
* The cat has a low number of lymphocytes: 1.5x103 cells/µl.
* The cat has a positive FCoV test result (titer > 1:160).
* The cat has elevated globulins in his blood > 5.1 gm/dl.
If the cat meets all three criteria, the
probability the cat has FIP is 88.9%. If the cat
does NOT meet all three criteria, the
probability the cat does NOT have FIP is 98.8%.
In those cats who have fluid in the thorax or abdomen that can be analyzed:
* If the gamma globulin fraction in the
fluid is greater than 32%, the chances that the cat has FIP are almost 100%.
* If the albumin fraction is greater than
48% or the ratio of albumin to globulin is
greater than 0.81, it is almost 100% certain that the cat does NOT have FIP.
From this discussion, you can see that a
certain diagnosis of FIP is not made very
easily. Remember, the "gold standard" for
diagnosis of FIP is through microscopic
examinations of biopsies (a procedure called histopathology)."
Beth
