Prognostic Prediction for Therapeutic Effects of Mutian on 324 Client-Owned Cats with Feline Infectious Peritonitis Based on Clinical Laboratory Indicators and Physical Signs

Abstract

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a fatal disease classified as either effusive, non-effusive (‘dry’), or a mixture (‘mixed’) of the forms of FIP, with mixed showing signs of both effusive and dry. To determine whether the therapeutic effect of Mutian on dry and mixed FIP can be predicted using clinical indicators before starting treatment, we entered 161 cats with mixed FIP and 163 cats with dry FIP into this study. Physical assessments, the reverse transcriptase-PCR detection of viral genes, and clinical laboratory tests (hematocrit, albumin/globulin ratio, serum amyloid A, α1-acid glycoprotein, and total bilirubin) were performed before Mutian was administered. These indicators were compared between the FIP groups that survived after receiving Mutian for 84 days and those that died before the completion of treatment. Significant differences in body temperature, appetite, and activity scores were confirmed between the surviving and non-surviving groups. The therapeutic effect was insufficient when total bilirubin levels increased in cats with the mixed form. In both of the FIP types, therapeutic effects were difficult to obtain when neurological clinical signs were observed. The therapeutic effects of Mutian on the cats with dry and mixed FIP can be predicted based on pre-treatment body temperature, appetite scores, and activity scores, as well as the presence of neurological signs.