Dr Xavier Roura, a veterinarian at the Hospital Clínic Veterinari, part of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, was the main speaker at a well-attended seminar for local veterinarians on the latest treatments and methods of prevention in diseases affecting cats, held earlier this month at the Xara Lodge, limits of Rabat.
In his highly informative, illustrated presentation, Dr Roura focused on three types of diseases affecting cats: the Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV), the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP).
He first focused on FeLV and FIV, for which several tests have been developed over the past 15 years: ELISA, which can be performed at the veterinary clinic; or the IFA or PCR, which have to be done at a commercial laboratory. Because some cats can have progressive infection and others a regressive infection but do not go on to develop the disease, it is important to test the cats three to six months later.
Illustrating his presentation with a number of case studies, Dr Roura said that cats have a much greater life expectancy after being diagnosed than previously thought – at least five years – and urged those present not to euthanize the cats. Although cats may present symptoms, he stressed that this did not mean that they would go on to develop the disease, for which there is no treatment.
In assessing cats with FeLV and FIV, Dr Roura said it is important for the cats to be evaluated for other afflictions.

Turning to FIP, he pointed out that this is rare in solo, indoor-only house cats since this is a virus that has mutated. Although FIP is one of the most common causes of an unexplained fever, it is often difficult to diagnose. Its clinical signs can be caused by a number of other conditions and there is no single, clear-cut test to diagnose it.
Effusive FIP can be diagnosed through PCR testing but the best way to diagnose non-effusive FIP is via a biopsy. In many cases this is not possible, depending on the clinical signs but a new PCR test could be part of the diagnosis.
Viruses can only be treated or ‘beaten’ through the cat’s immune system. Those infected with these viruses can develop chronic kidney disease (CKD), so early diagnosis is important. In terms of prevention, there are vaccines but all three are non-core and, although cats in America are vaccinated, this has not started yet in Europe.
Dr Roura stressed that when applying vaccinations, all of the cat’s skin surface should be used since one in 5,000 cats develops a sarcoma from being vaccinated in the same place. He concluded his presentation by giving indications on the frequency of the application of the vaccinations.
Dr Adriano Casella from Borg Cardona Ltd, local distributor for Pharmacross products, gave an outline of Dr Roura’s academic achievements: he graduated in Veterinary Medicine in 1989 from the UAB and received his Ph.D. for his work on the Diagnosis of Canine Leishmaniosis with Polymerase Chain Reaction in 1999.
He has worked at his alma mater as a clinical instructor since 1992 and has been a visiting lecturer at the Veterinary College of Ohio State (1993), North Carolina State (1997, 2001 and 2004) and the Animal Medical Center of New York (2007).
Dr Roura, who is looking forward to attending the annual conference of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in Malta next year, has presented papers at several conferences, in scientific publications and contributed book chapters in the areas of infectious (vector-borne) diseases and internal medicine in dogs and cats.
The seminar was supported by Pharmacross Co. Ltd, the innovative Maltese veterinary company that develops its products strictly based on Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine and is highly committed to its scientific support of vets at International level. Pharmacross products are distributed in Malta through Borg Cardona Ltd. A co-sponsor of the event was the Maltese branch of Idexx Laboratories, a world-wide leading brand in veterinary diagnostics.