The different diseases of the Bengal cat.
The Bengal is a cat breed genetically predisposed to several diseases and health problems
Hereditary diseases
PK Def (Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency)
Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency, or “PK-def”, mainly affects Abyssinian, Somali and Bengal.
It is a genetic disease deriving from a mutation in the gene coding for PK on the cat's chromosomes.
It is an autosomal mutation, therefore not linked to sex, and recessive which means that to be affected by the disease, the cat must have both the mutated allele transmitted by its father and the mutated allele transmitted by its mother , therefore being homozygous for the mutated allele.
If the “A” allele is the allele not carrying the disease and “a” is the mutated allele carrying the disease, we will have:
a cat with genotype AA, from a phenotype point of view does not have PK-def, it is a healthy cat;
A cat with the Aa genotype is also not affected by PK-def, but is a healthy carrier;
A cat with the aa genotype will be affected by PK-def and is a homozygous cat.
The Aa cat, a healthy carrier, will never have any symptoms, but will statistically transmit the disease to 50% of its descendants.
Pyruvate kinase is an enzyme that intervenes in the metabolism of energy production by degradation of sugars in red blood cells. If the latter lack PK, metabolism will suffer and the red blood cells will die by hemolysis, resulting in anemia in the affected cat. This anemia can be more or less serious, the lifespan of affected cats varying from one to thirteen years because this anemia is regenerative and can therefore appear intermittently, with remissions in the disease. The diagnosis is confirmed by carrying out a DNA test showing the mutated gene and making it possible to test the status of the cat, that is to say to identify whether it carries two healthy genes, two defective genes or one of each.
PRA-b (Progressive Retinal Atrophy)
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA-b) causes degeneration of the retina. The disease progresses more quickly the earlier it appears in the cat's life, and ultimately leads to total blindness.
The transmission mode is identical to that of the PK Def (see above)
Understanding the test results: PRA-b
Test result PRA-b – Bengal Progressive Retinal Atrophy status ( )Health status
N/N : No copy of the PRA-b mutation, The animal isNORMAL
N/PRA-b : 1 copy of the PRA-b mutation, The animal isNORMAL
PRA-b/PRA-b: 2 copies of the PRA-b mutation, The animalis or will be or may be affected
HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy)
Cardiac hypertrophy is a hereditary and incurable disease that affects cats of all breeds. It is characterized by an abnormal thickening of the muscular walls of the heart.
Since the 1970s, it has been recognized that this disease is the frequent cause of cardiac arrest, thrombosis and sudden death. Cats affected by this disease generally do not show any signs before the age of 6/8 months and the HCM diagnosis is only established over several years, which is why a heart examination by a specialist must be carried out several times. during the life of a cat and ideally before its 2 years
Symptoms
Among the possible symptoms, we may encounter:
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Rapid fatigue during physical exercise,
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Heart failure (arrhythmia, tachycardia, heart murmur),
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Embolism or pulmonary edema,
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Difficulty breathing,
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Paralysis of the rear limbs secondary to the embolism of a clot (or thrombus) which generally forms in the very abnormally dilated left atrium.
With a stethoscope, the heart rate may be completely normal. However, it often happens that none of the above symptoms have been noticed when the cat dies.
IVF/FELV
Two common and formidable infectious diseases. Feline leukosis and feline immunodeficiency syndrome are two contagious diseases caused by different viruses, feline leukemogenic virus (or FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (or FIV), both belonging to the same family of retroviruses. .
These two diseases exclusively affect cats. No cases of transmission to humans or dogs have been described. Both FIV and FeLV currently remain untreated and are 100% fatal, with FeLV being one of the leading causes of mortality in cats.
INFECTIONS THAT REMAIN “HIDDEN” FOR SEVERAL YEARS
At the very moment of contamination, your cat may present some discreet and temporary symptoms:
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decline in form,
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fever,
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loss of voice (due to the multiplication of the FeLV virus in the pharyngeal lymph nodes).
After this episode, which may remain unnoticed, a phase described as asymptomatic occurs, during which your cat carries the virus but does not present any problems. This silent phase can last from a few months to a few years for FeLV (but rarely beyond 4 years), and extend for several years for FIV (sometimes up to 10 years). During this period, and on the advice of your veterinarian, it is important to continue the usual vaccinations against coryza and typhus.
AN INEXORABLE EVOLUTION
Once the symptoms of FeLV or FIV are declared, the deterioration of the general condition can be very rapid, with anemia, the development of tumors or leukemia. In the terminal phase, coryza, gingivitis and gastroenteritis aggravate the pathology of the immunocompromised cat. There is currently no specific treatment for infection with feline leukemogenic virus (FeLV) or feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). This is why prevention remains the best protection.
WELL IDENTIFIED MODES OF TRANSMISSION
The feline leukemogenic virus (FeLV) is transmitted through secretions:
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saliva (during mutual licking),
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sputum,
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feces or urine (when using common litter boxes),
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milk when breastfeeding kittens.
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transmission during gestation itself is frequent between the contaminated mother and her litter.
FIV, on the other hand, is only transmitted during a deep bite, leading to direct contact between the blood of the two cats, during a fight. Transmission of the FIV virus from mother to offspring is very rare.
KNOWN RISK FACTORS
The risks to which your pet is subject vary depending on its sex, lifestyle and age. Entire, male cats, with access to the outdoors, are the most exposed since their wandering leads them to encounters and fights, from puberty, then during the mating season. It is therefore from a very young age that you must test and protect your cat.
EFFECTIVE SCREENING TECHNIQUES
Screening for FeLV and FIV is carried out using a blood test. For the comfort of your cat, simple and practical tests have been developed, which can be carried out by your veterinarian during his consultation. A few drops of blood are enough to test for either virus. Quick, these tests allow your veterinarian to reassure you and be able to vaccinate your cat, or to establish a reliable diagnosis of the infection in a few minutes.
VACCINATION, THE BEST PROTECTION
Currently, there is no vaccine against FIV.
The feline coronavirus
There are two forms of FCoV (feline coronavirus). One is responsible for a fatal disease in cats, namely feline infectious peritonitis or PIF. This serious pathology mainly affects young cats aged between 6 months and 2 years, but also does not spare the usual cats from feline exhibitions or those who live in groups. Finally, those already affected by leukosis or cat AIDS are also more often affected by this disease than their congeners. Let’s take stock of this feline coronavirus, these different forms, how it can mutate from one form to another and let’s take stock of feline infectious peritonitis.
The coronavirus is the unloved virus present in more than 95% of cats, all breeds combined.
As Bengal is a very sensitive digestive system, it is quite possible that you can know when your cat secretes the virus. One of the immediate symptoms in Bengal is diarrhea… and yes, the majority of domestic cats will secrete the coronavirus without even a single soft saddle!
As a general rule and in addition to a few rare exceptions, the coronavirus will keep its enteritis form either benign causing soft stools and sometimes temporary vomiting. The digestive form may be perfectly asymptômatic but this is rather rare in Bengal.
The coronavirus “wakes up” normally during periods of stress, changes in the animal’s routine or when its immune system is weakened.
Generally in its mildest form is enteritis, it can happen that the coronavirus transforms and mutates into feline infectious peritonitis also called PIF. Rest assured these cases are rare but here are some symptoms not to be overlooked:
Loss of appetite
Fever
Lethargy
Weight loss
Difficulty breathing
Nephrites
Ocular hemorrhages
Tremors, convulsions or paralysis
We obviously recommend consulting your veterinarian at all times.
Feline infectious peritonitis (PIF) is an infectious disease due to a Coronavirus.
The coronavirus is a highly contagious virus.
PIF is a complex disease for which two main forms are distinguished: a «wet» form, associated with effusions, and a «dry» form resulting in granulomas.
The term “infectious peritonitis” is relatively inappropriate since this condition may be expressed, for example, only by an isolated fever or an eye problem.
The clinical signs of feline infectious peritonitis are very polymorphic
The PIF concerns more particularly two types of populations: young cats (from 3 months to 3 years) and elderly cats (10 to 14 years). The affected cats are almost always from a large workforce (catteries, shelters, farms, etc.).
Incubation of the disease ranges from a few days to several months. It usually begins with little specific signs: fever, loss of appetite, deterioration of general condition, weight loss, paler or icteric mucous membranes, etc.
In wet forms, effusions appear in the abdomen or chest (pleurisy).
When it exists, abdominal effusion is the expression of inflammation of the peritoneum (hence the name of the disease). It most often has a rather evocative viscous straw yellow appearance. Pleural effusion is responsible for respiratory disorders.
When it exists, abdominal effusion is the expression of inflammation of the peritoneum (hence the name of the disease). It most often has a rather evocative viscous straw yellow appearance. Pleural effusion is responsible for respiratory disorders.
In the dry forms one can find eye damage (iridocyclitis) but also granulomatous pulmonary, renal, hepatic, nerve, ganglionic or intestinal damage.
The distinction between these two forms is theoretical because they can co-exist or succeed each other.
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A difficult diagnosis for feline infectious peritonitis (PIF)
The great polymorphism of clinical signs and the existence of different «subfamilies» of Coronavirus explain why the diagnosis of certainty of PIF can be very difficult to establish and why serological tests should be interpreted with great caution.
A summary taking into account the context in which the animal lives, clinical signs, results of biological examinations, serological tests, … is essential to be able to conclude.
Thus, to schematize, it is admitted that a sick cat with a positive serology is only affected by PIF if all other elements (clinical, blood, etc.) go in this direction.
On the other hand, if his serology is negative, the diagnosis of PIF is unlikely (but not formally excluded).
Conversely, in a healthy cat, a positive serology simply means that the animal has been in contact with a Coronavirus and at this stage, the evolution is not predictable.
Monitoring and controls are to be put in place.
Quantitative PCR techniques are now interesting to use but only provide additional information in terms of diagnosis.
Prognosis and treatment of feline infectious peritonitis (PIF)
PIF is a disease with a very poor prognosis, with a death rate of almost 100%. The evolution is on average over 2 to 5 weeks.
There is currently no specific treatment but only palliative treatments.
Prevention of feline infectious peritonitis (PIF)
No vaccine is currently available in France.
Prevention therefore relies solely on very rigorous management of catteries and livestock: isolation of any new entrant for 30 days and serological test (or PCR) before its introduction into an HIV-negative population. New screening and 3-week isolation of animals returning to the farm after breeding.
In affected farms, animals should be distributed in batches based on screening tests. The virus is excreted through the stool of the sick animal and contamination occurs through direct contact or through bedding, transport crates, shoes, …
Predisposed species and breeds
Feline infectious peritonitis can affect all domestic or wild felines. Some authors suspect a predisposition of certain lines especially in Bengal, British shorthair, Persian, Rex Cornish and Sacred cats of Burma.
The disease is not contagious to other species, including humans.