Haemotropic Mycoplasma (Mycoplasma haemofelis) RT-PCR
The Haemotropic Mycoplasma RT-PCR is a blood test for cats that looks for the DNA of haemoplasmas, mainly Mycoplasma haemofelis, tiny germs on red blood cells that cause feline infectious anaemia. It can find infections that a blood smear can miss.
- Sample
- Whole blood (EDTA)
- Quantity
- As advised
- Report
- Confirmed when you book
- Collection
- Free in Bhopal
What this test checks
- Mycoplasma haemofelis DNA - the main haemoplasma that causes feline infectious anaemia
- Other haemoplasma types, only where the lab confirms they are included when you book
- Infection that a blood smear may miss because the germs are few or come and go
Benefits of this test
- Can find haemoplasmas that a blood smear may miss.
- Avoids confusion with stain specks that can look like germs on a smear.
- Helps your vet find the cause of anaemia in a cat.
- Useful for checking cats before they give blood.
- Can be repeated later if your vet wants to check whether the germ is still present.
When your vet may advise it
- A cat with pale gums, weakness or tiredness.
- Anaemia on a blood count without a clear cause.
- A cat with fleas or a history of fights that becomes weak or pale.
- A blood smear that looks clear while your vet still suspects haemoplasmas.
- Before a cat donates blood.
About this test
Haemoplasmas are very small bacteria that stick to the surface of red blood cells. In cats, the most harmful one is Mycoplasma haemofelis, which causes feline infectious anaemia. Anaemia means too few red blood cells, so less oxygen reaches the body. An affected cat may have pale gums, tiredness, weakness, poor appetite, fast breathing and sometimes fever or yellow gums. Some cats carry haemoplasmas without looking ill.
Haemoplasmas can be hard to see on a blood smear, a thin film of blood checked under a microscope. They may be present in small numbers or come and go in the blood, and stain specks can look like them. PCR (polymerase chain reaction) looks for their DNA instead, so it can find an infection that the microscope missed. The test mainly looks for Mycoplasma haemofelis; whether other haemoplasma types are included is confirmed when you book.
These germs may spread through fleas, bites during cat fights and blood transfusions, so vets also use this PCR to check cats before they give blood. Treatment can lower the number of germs in the blood, so the sample is ideally taken before treatment starts. A registered veterinarian reads the result together with your cat's signs, history and blood count. In Bhopal, sample collection is free, and from other districts your vet can send the blood sample by courier or bus parcel after calling the lab.
How to prepare
A small blood sample is taken into an EDTA tube, ideally before any treatment begins; fasting is not usually needed, and tell your vet about any medicines already given. The lab confirms the method, sample needs and reporting time when you book.
Reading the result
A registered veterinarian reads the result with your cat's signs, history and blood count. A positive result shows haemoplasma DNA was found, but some cats carry these germs without being ill, so the vet judges whether it explains the anaemia. A negative result does not always rule infection out, especially if treatment has already started.
Questions about Haemotropic Mycoplasma (Mycoplasma haemofelis) RT-PCR
What is feline infectious anaemia?
Why test by PCR if the blood smear was normal?
How do cats get Mycoplasma haemofelis?
Is haemoplasma PCR used for blood donor 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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Haemotropic Mycoplasma (Mycoplasma haemofelis) 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