Feline panleukopenia: A SURVEY ON PATHOLOGY, RISK FACTORS AND HEMATOLOGICAL CHANGES IN INFECTED CATS

Abstract

This study was conducted at Amy Veterinary Clinic from March 1 to July 31, 2023. A survey was carried out on 141 cats brought to the clinic for treatment based on the clinical and subclinical symptoms. This study aimed to learn about the changes in hematological parameters after cats were identified as infected with Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) by FPV Ag test kit. The results showed that 65.24% of cats were suspected of being infected with FPV virus among the total surveyed cats, and 84.78% of cats were positive for FPV via rapid test kit in the total number of suspected cases. The rate of FPV infection was not affected by sex, age, normanagement method. Cats aged from 2 to 12 months old had the highest disease rate (95.31%) and over 12 months of age accounted for the lowest rate (45.45%). The prevalence of FPV was higher in unvaccinated cats (89.87%) compared to those vaccinated (53.84%). Blood physiological tests showed that  on the first day of FPV infection, the average white blood cell count decreased to 4,582 x 10⁹/L, mean platelet count decreased to 70.01 x 10⁹/L. The difference in these parameters on day 1 compared with the reference range was highly significant (P < 0.001). After 3 days and 5 days of treatment, the mean white blood cell count and mean platelet count increased markedly; the remaining parameters (monocytes, granulocytes) also increased but not significantly. The logistic regression equation states that if hematological parameters rose by one unit of measurement following three days of FPV therapy, the likelihood of cat survival (OR) increased correspondingly.