feline infectious peritonitis (fip) in a captive female persian leopard (panthera pardus ssp. tulliana), a wild life case report

The iucn red list shows declining populations of 29 out of 36 wild felid species, with nearly half of them classified within the top three levels of endangerment. the persian leopard and asiatic cheetah are specifically noted as endangered and critically endangered, respectively, and both mainly inhabit iran. research on many infectious viral diseases in non-domestic felids remains incomplete. not only is knowing this information necessary to improve conservation plans from an epidemiological perspective, but it is also essential for better housing these species in captivity, ensuring compliance with welfare. postmortem examination of a captive emaciated female persian leopard that died following progressive weight loss and chronic diarrhea revealed a notable level of dehydration, a considerable volume of yellowish fluid in the abdominal cavity, pale liver, and substantial amount of undigested feed in the stomach. microscopically, widespread vascular injury, edema, and neutrophil infiltration in most tissues, along with lymphatic depletion of lymphoid tissues, represent a viral disease where endothelial cells could be injured by immune complex deposition. abdominal effusion tested positive for feline coronavirus (fcov) through molecular analysis using polymerase chain reaction (pcr). furthermore, the cytological examination identified monocytes as the predominant cell in the abdominal fluid. the diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis (fip) was established as the primary factor contributing to death. while most instances of fip outbreaks in non-domestic felids have been documented in captive settings due to stress from captivity and environmental factors, the role of infected free-roaming domestic cats in transmitting the virus to wild non-domestic felids is significant and requires further investigation.