Diagnosis of Feline Viral Infection

The methods of diagnosis of the common feline viral infections are discussed. Specific diagnosis involves a combination of an accurate history, careful observation of disease signs, demonstration of characteristic clinicopathologic changes, and isolation or identification of the etiologic agent. The laboratory tests for virus identification—including virus isolation, cytology, electron microscopy, virus neutralization, immunofluorescent microscopy, and enzyme-linkedimmunosorbent-assay (ELISA)—are briefly described.