Search

Background: Effective immunotherapeutic agents for use in cats are needed to aid in the management of intractable viral diseases, including feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) infection. The objectives of this study were to compare two different immune stimulants for antiviral activity in cats: (1) TLR 2/6-activating compound polyprenyl immunostimulant; (PI) and (2) liposome Toll-like receptor 3/9 agonist complexes (LTCs) to determine relative abilities to stimulate the induction of type I (IFN-α, IFN-β) and type II (IFN-γ) interferon immune responses in vitro and to study the effects of treatment on immune responses in healthy cats. Methods: Cytokine and cellular immune responses to PI and LTC were evaluated using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy cats incubated with LTC and PI at indicated concentrations using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assays and ELISA assays. The effects of the immune stimulants on inhibiting FIPV replication were assessed using a feline macrophage cell line (fcwf-4). Cytokine and cellular immune responses to PI and LTC were evaluated in blood samples from healthy cats treated with PI and LTC, using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and ELISA assays. Results: In the in vitro studies, both compounds triggered the upregulated expression of IFN-α, IFN-γ, and IL-1β genes in cat PBMC, whereas treatment with LTC induced significantly greater expression of IFN-α and IFN-γ on Day 1 and IL-1b on Day 3. There was significant protection from FIPV-induced cytopathic effects when fcwf-4 cells were treated with conditioned medium from LTC-activated leukocytes. In the healthy cat study (in vivo), both PI and LTC increased the mRNA signal for IFN-α, IFN-γ, and IL-1β above baseline at multiple time points with statistically greater increases in the LTC group on either Day 1 (IFN-α, IFN-γ) or Day 3 (IL-1β). In addition, RANTES increased over time in cats treated with the LTC. Conclusions: Both LTC and PI protocols induced immune-enhancing effects, suggesting a possible clinical use for the management of chronic infectious diseases like FIP. Activating the TLR 3 and 9 pathways (LTC) induced superior broad interferon production in vitro than the activation of the TLR 2 and 6 pathways (PI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study used an owner-directed online questionnaire to collect data regarding their food and water provision for their pet cats. The survey was conducted in 2019. Methods: The anonymous online 30-question survey was available via vetprofessionals.com. Results: A total of 1172 cat owners fully completed the questionnaire. The respondents each owned a median of two cats (range 1–6). They reported being most strongly motivated to feed a particular ration because of palatability, observed and/or expected health benefits, or that the diet was/is perceived as 'natural'. The majority of owners (n = 946, 80.7%) fed their cats exclusively a commercially purchased complete wet food, dry kibble diet or mixture of both. Compared with a previous (unpublished) survey conducted by the same authors in 2013,1 there were substantial increases in the number of owners feeding therapeutic diets (26.6% vs 0.7%) and the inclusion of raw meat in cats' rations (15.6% vs 3.7%). The proportion of respondents providing at least one feeding station per cat was 83.1%, with significant use of enrichment feeding methods (29.1%). Conclusions and relevance: Veterinarians need to be aware of changing trends in cat feeding to provide owners with appropriate support. Veterinary advice was frequently sought by owners and can be used as an opportunity to improve cat health and welfare, particularly in multi-cat households, but was not often influential to client decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study compared Doppler and oscillometric (PetMAP+) devices (with or without proprietary optimisations) for the non-invasive measurement of blood pressure in conscious cats. Methods: Twenty-three cats were enrolled; however, five were excluded as fewer than five measurements were obtained for each assessment. All measurements were obtained according to American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine consensus guidelines. Oscillometric device modes A and B were operated according to the manufacturer's guidelines. Doppler and oscillometric devices were used alternately as the first device. Results: Systolic arterial blood pressure (SAP) measurements were obtained by Doppler (SAPd) and oscillometry; the mean of each set of five values was used for statistical analysis. There was a significant difference between SAPd and SAP measurements in oscillometric modes A (P <0.001) and B (P <0.001). While both modes measured SAP higher than SAPd, B had a smaller bias (+15.72 mmHg) and narrower limits of agreement (LOA). There was also a significant difference between SAPd and mean arterial pressure (MAP) on oscillometric modes A (P = 0.002) and B (P <0.001). Both modes' MAP readings were lower than SAPd and oscillometric A MAP was closer to SAPd (–14.94 mmHg), with a smaller bias and narrower LOA. Conclusions and relevance: The findings support that Doppler and oscillometric devices cannot be used interchangeably, with or without proprietary optimisations. Methodology should always be taken into account and reference intervals (RIs) need to be defined for the different methodologies. Until methodology-specific RIs are published, definitive diagnosis of hypertension and sub-staging of patients with kidney disease according to the International Renal Interest Society guidelines remains challenging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]