Feline Panleukopenia (FPV) RT-PCR
Feline Panleukopenia (FPV) RT-PCR is a test that looks for the DNA of feline parvovirus, the cause of panleukopenia, in a cat's faeces or blood. It can help detect this severe and contagious disease of kittens.
- Sample
- Faeces or whole blood (EDTA)
- Quantity
- As advised
- Report
- Confirmed when you book
- Collection
- Free in Bhopal
What this test checks
- Feline parvovirus (FPV) DNA - the genetic material of the virus that causes panleukopenia
- Virus in faeces, where infected cats pass large amounts of it
- Virus in blood, which your vet may send instead of, or along with, faeces
Benefits of this test
- Can pick up smaller amounts of virus than a rapid kit test.
- Works on faeces or blood.
- Helps your vet check for panleukopenia when a rapid test is negative but the signs fit.
- Helps your vet advise on cleaning and protecting other cats in the home or shelter.
- Can be read along with a blood count, which often shows low white blood cells in this disease.
When your vet may advise it
- A kitten with vomiting, diarrhoea, fever or refusal to eat.
- Sudden severe illness or death of kittens in a home, shelter or cattery.
- A rapid panleukopenia test that is negative while the signs still fit.
- Very low white blood cells on a blood count in a young cat.
- A new kitten that becomes ill soon after joining a home with other cats.
About this test
Feline panleukopenia, also called feline distemper or cat parvo, is a severe disease caused by feline parvovirus (FPV). It mostly affects kittens and cats that are not vaccinated. Signs can include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, refusing food, dehydration and sudden weakness. The name means a fall in all types of white blood cells, the cells that fight infection, which is often seen in this disease. Pregnant cats can pass the infection to their unborn kittens.
The virus spreads through the faeces of infected cats and can survive for a long time on floors, bowls, litter trays, bedding, hands and clothes. PCR (polymerase chain reaction) is a test that finds and copies tiny pieces of the virus's DNA, so it can pick up smaller amounts than a rapid kit, which looks for virus protein. Faeces is commonly used, and blood in an EDTA tube can also be tested. Because the virus spreads so easily, a result also helps your vet advise on cleaning and on protecting other cats at home or in a shelter.
A registered veterinarian reads the result with the kitten's signs, vaccination history and a blood count. Recent vaccination with a live panleukopenia vaccine can sometimes give a weak positive, so tell your vet the vaccination date. A negative result does not always rule infection out. In Bhopal, sample collection is free, and from other districts your vet can send the sample by courier or bus parcel after calling the lab.
How to prepare
Collect a fresh stool sample in a clean, leak-proof container, or your vet takes blood into an EDTA tube, and tell the vet the date of any recent vaccination. The lab confirms the method, sample needs and reporting time when you book.
Reading the result
A registered veterinarian reads the result together with the kitten's signs, vaccination history and blood count. A positive result in a sick, unvaccinated kitten supports panleukopenia, while a weak positive soon after a live vaccine may come from the vaccine. A negative result does not always rule infection out, so your vet may repeat the test.
Questions about Feline Panleukopenia (FPV) RT-PCR
Can a vaccinated kitten test positive for panleukopenia on PCR?
What is the difference between the cat parvo rapid test and PCR?
Is feline panleukopenia the same as cat distemper?
How does panleukopenia spread between cats?
Before you book this test
Why this notice: so you know, before you book, how a test is done, what its limits are and who is responsible.
- Where it is tested. Some tests are done wholly or partly by an independent partner laboratory. The lab tells you before booking if this test is sent out, and the report names the laboratory that did it.
- What a result can and cannot tell you. No test is right every time. A normal result does not rule out every disease, and an abnormal result does not prove one. A registered veterinarian should read the report with the animal’s signs and history before any treatment is started, changed or stopped.
- The sample. A sample that is clotted, too small, wrongly labelled, leaking or too old may be rejected or reported with a note, and the lab may ask for a fresh one.
- Reporting time. Confirmed when you book. Times are estimates, not guarantees, and the lab confirms the time when you book.
- Emergencies. A booking or a pending report must not delay urgent care. If an animal has collapsed, struggles to breathe, has fits or bleeds heavily, call a veterinarian at once.
Please read our Terms of Service, Medical Disclaimer, Privacy Policy and Refund and Cancellation Policy. Pashupatinath Vet Lab is operated by Duaji Healthcare and Tech Private Limited. This page is general information and does not replace a veterinarian’s advice.
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More RT-PCR tests
Feline Panleukopenia (FPV) RT-PCR: Bhopal and the big cities of Madhya Pradesh
Free sample collection anywhere in Bhopal. From the other cities, send the sample by courier, bus parcel or through your local veterinarian, and the report comes to you online.
Free collection in these Bhopal areas