Feline infectious anemia (FIA) is an

infectious disease An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

found in felines, causing

anemia Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, th ...

and other symptoms. The disease is caused by a variety of

infectious agents In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ ...

, most commonly ''

Mycoplasma haemofelis ''Mycoplasma haemofelis'' (formerly ''Haemobartonella felis'') is a gram-negative epierythrocytic parasitic bacterium. It often appears in bloodsmears as small (0.6μm) coccoid bodies, sometimes forming short chains of three to eight organisms. ...

'' (formerly called ''Haemobartonella'' before ''Haemobartonella'' and ''Eperythrozoon'' species were reclassified as

mycoplasma ''Mycoplasma'' is a genus of bacteria that, like the other members of the class ''Mollicutes'', lack a cell wall around their cell membranes. Peptidoglycan (murein) is absent. This characteristic makes them naturally resistant to antibiotics ...

s).

Coinfection Coinfection is the simultaneous infection of a host by multiple pathogen species. In virology, coinfection includes simultaneous infection of a single cell by two or more virus particles. An example is the coinfection of liver cells with hepatiti ...

often occurs with other infectious agents, including

feline leukemia virus Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus that infects cats. FeLV can be transmitted from infected cats when the transfer of saliva or nasal secretions is involved. If not defeated by the animal's immune system, the virus weakens the cat's i ...

(FeLV),

feline immunodeficiency virus Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a '' Lentivirus'' that affects cats worldwide, with 2.5% to 4.4% of felines being infected. FIV was first isolated in 1986, by Niels C Pedersen and Janet K. Yamamoto at the UC Davis School of Veterina ...

(FIV), ''

Ehrlichia ''Ehrlichia'' is a genus of Rickettsiales bacteria that are transmitted to vertebrates by ticks. These bacteria cause the disease ehrlichiosis, which is considered zoonotic, because the main reservoirs for the disease are animals. ''Ehrlichia'' ...

'' species, ''

Anaplasma phagocytophilum ''Anaplasma phagocytophilum'' (formerly ''Ehrlichia phagocytophilum'') is a Gram-negative bacterium that is unusual in its tropism to neutrophils. It causes anaplasmosis in sheep and cattle, also known as tick-borne fever and pasture fever, and ...

'' and

Candidatus In prokaryote nomenclature, ''Candidatus'' (Latin for candidate of Roman office) is used to name prokaryotic phyla that are well characterized but yet-uncultured. Contemporary sequencing approaches, such as 16S sequencing or metagenomics, provide m ...

''Mycoplasma haemominutum''.Prevalence of Infectious Agents and Anti-Erythrocyte Antibodies in Cats with Anemia ACVIM 2009. K. L. Dowers; A. G. Miller; C. B. Webb; R. F. Keegan; A. C. Avery; P. K. Kiser; M. R. Lappin, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

References

External links

Feline Infectious Anemia

Anemia in Cats .. Cause, Signs, Diagnosis and Treatment
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