Diagnosing and Preventing Feline Infectious Peritonitis

Feline infectious peritonitis causes severe inflammatory disease in a cat’s body and is nearly always fatal in affected animals. The virus arises from a mutated form of a common gastrointestinal virus call feline enteric coronavirus (FECV) and is extremely hard to diagnose. Researchers are developing two novel ways to combat FIP, through better diagnostics and by designing a FECV vaccine to help stop FIP before it has a chance to develop. The diagnostic test will be minimally invasive and easy to use in a clinical setting, only requiring a blood sample. If successful, this test could help veterinarians accurately determine if a cat has FIP or another more treatable disease.