Abstract
An eleven-month-old female spayed domestic shorthair cat was presented for investigation of pruritic skin lesions and haemorrhage. Haematological evaluation revealed a markedly regenerative anaemia, neutrophilia with left shift, monocytosis, basophilia and severe thrombocytopenia. The direct antiglobulin test and serum antinuclear antibody tests were positive. Serologic and immunofluorescent antibody tests for feline leukaemia virus were negative. Bone marrow cytology revealed a lack of megakaryocytes with erythroid and myeloid hyperplasia. A peritoneopericardial diaphragmatic hernia was detected ultrasonographically, but was not considered to be related to the haematologic abnormalities. An immune-mediated aetiology for the amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia was considered likely based on the concomitant positive direct antiglobulin and antinuclear antibody tests, but the cat responded poorly to short-term immunosuppressive therapy and was euthanized.
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Gaschenl, F.P., Meyer, B.S. & Harvey, J.W. Amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia and immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia in a cat. Comparative Haematology International 2, 175–178 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00426174
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00426174