Research Articles
Clinical research and case studies
- science
Diagnostic Methods for Feline Coronavirus: A Review
A peer-reviewed review of how feline coronavirus (FCoV) and feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) are diagnosed, comparing serology, RT-PCR, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry, and explaining why no single test confirms FIP on its own.
- science
The Paradox of Feline Coronavirus Pathogenesis: A Review
A focused review of why feline coronavirus (FCoV) — usually a harmless gut infection — can switch into lethal feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), weighing the internal-mutation, quasispecies, and host-immune-response hypotheses.
- science
A Tale of Two Viruses: FCoV Spike Glycoproteins
A review of the spike (S) glycoprotein biology of feline coronavirus, arguing that the two FCoV serotypes are effectively two distinct viruses whose differing receptor binding and protease activation help explain how an enteric infection switches into feline infectious peritonitis (FIP).
- science
Diagnosis of Feline Infectious Peritonitis: A Literature Review
A practical L3 review by two leading FIP authorities synthesizing every direct and indirect diagnostic test for feline infectious peritonitis — from effusion analysis and the Rivalta test to serology, immunostaining, RT-PCR, and S-gene mutation detection — with reported sensitivity and specificity by sample material.
- science
From Challenge to Cure: FIP and Emerging Treatment Strategies (2025)
A 2025 open-access review of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP): how feline coronavirus mutates into fatal disease, its wet and dry clinical forms, diagnostic challenges, and the recent antiviral breakthroughs that have turned a once-uniformly-fatal disease into a manageable one.
- science
FIP: European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases Guidelines (2023)
An authoritative European (ABCD) consensus guideline covering feline coronavirus biology, FIP pathogenesis, the wet versus dry disease continuum, diagnosis, clinical signs, epidemiology, and management — with antiviral therapy now enabling recovery from a once-fatal disease.
- science
A Review of Feline Infectious Peritonitis Virus Infection (2024)
A comprehensive 2024 review of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) covering the causative feline coronavirus, epidemiology, the wet and dry clinical forms, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and the evolving antiviral treatment landscape.
- science
Feline Coronavirus Antivirals: A Review
An authoritative open-access review of antiviral strategies investigated against feline coronavirus and feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), spanning entry inhibitors, replication inhibitors, protease inhibitors, immunostimulants, and combination therapy.
- research
Antiviral Treatment of Ocular FIP (Uveitis): A 61-Cat Case Series
An observational case series of 61 cats with feline infectious peritonitis found ocular involvement (chiefly uveitis) in 33%; FIP-associated uveitis resolved in 82% of followed cats after an 84-day antiviral course combined with anti-inflammatory therapy.
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Owner Experience and Veterinary Involvement in Unlicensed FIP Treatment: A 143-Cat Cohort
A peer-reviewed prospective cohort study following 143 cat owners through 12 weeks of unlicensed antiviral FIP treatment, documenting treatment costs, owner burden, the shift from injectable to oral formulation, and the central role of online peer-support communities.
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Two Oral Antivirals Show Similar Efficacy in 118 Cats with FIP
A single-clinic study of 118 cats with feline infectious peritonitis found that two leading oral antiviral options produced similar remission rates and safety profiles, with most deaths occurring within the first 10 days of treatment.
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Combination Antiviral Therapy for Naturally Transmitted FIP: A Four-Week Trial
A prospective Frontiers in Veterinary Science trial of 46 cats with naturally acquired FIP found that a four-week combination antiviral protocol achieved 97.8% survival with no relapse at 10-month follow-up.
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Curing Cats with Feline Infectious Peritonitis with an Oral Multi-Component Protocol
First prospective field study of an oral multi-component treatment for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP): all 18 cats treated for 84 days fully recovered, with rapid clinical improvement and viral-load clearance and no serious adverse effects.