News

The mutation responsible for causing Hereditary Nasal Parakeratosis (HNPK) has been, for the first time, described by Prof. Dr. Tosso Leeb from the University of Bern and his team. Laboklin could acquire the worldwide exclusive license for the HNPK test which is about to be patented.    

In cats, three different haemotropic mycoplasmas (previously Haemobartonella) are described so far varying strongly in their pathogenic potential. Beside the Ohio isolate Mycoplasma haemofelis and the most common California isolate Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum, a third species was recently identified, designated as Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis. While Mycoplasma haemofelis alone could lead to a severe infectious anaemia in immuncompetent animals, an infection with Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum is usually subclinical. Coinfections are possible and result in more obvious clinical signs than monoinfections.

Beside our conventional Haemobartonella PCR detecting all three strains, we now offer - in a further step - the possibility to differentiate between the various pathogenic feline haemobartonella strains.

Material: 0.5 ml EDTA blood

Concerning FIP diagnostics, a new and more sensitive PCR is now available for the investigation of aspirates (ascites, thoracic effusion, cerebrospinal fluid), tissue and EDTA blood (FIP without effusion).

In addition to the detection of coronavirus, this new PCR offers - in a further step - the possibility to determine mutations based on the publication of Chang et al., 2012 (PMID: 22709821). In this study, two mutations in the spike protein of feline coronaviruses were found, which correlate with FIP disease.

Coronaviruses in faeces do not exhibit the described mutations. For that reason, a oro-fecal infection with these specific virus mutants seems very unlikely. However, the fecal analysis via PCR remains a suitable dignostic tool for the direct detection of virus-shedding cats.