Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) in Mainland China between 2008 and 2023: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Tingyu Hu; Huiling Zhang; Xueping Zhang; Xingping Hong; Tangjie Zhang

doi:10.3390/ani14081220

Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) in Mainland China between 2008 and 2023: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Animals (Basel). 2024 Apr 18;14(8):1220. doi: 10.3390/ani14081220.

Authors

Tingyu Hu^{1

2}, Huiling Zhang³, Xueping Zhang^{1

2}, Xingping Hong^{1

2}, Tangjie Zhang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
² Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China.
³ Independent Researcher, New York, NY 11355, USA.

Abstract

To evaluate the overall prevalence of FIP infection in cats in mainland China and associated risk factors, studies on the prevalence of FIP conducted from 1 January 2008 to 20 December 2023 were retrieved from five databases-CNKI, Wanfang, PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect-and comprehensively reviewed. The 21 studies selected, with a total of 181,014 samples, underwent a rigorous meta-analysis after quality assessment. The results revealed a 2% prevalence of FIP (95% CI: 1-2%) through the random-effects model, showing considerable heterogeneity (I² = 95.2%). The subsequent subgroup analysis revealed that the age and gender of cats are significant risk factors for FIP infection in mainland China. In order to effectively reduce and control the prevalence of FIP on the Chinese mainland, we suggest improving the immunity of cats, with special attention given to health management in kittens and intact cats, and continuously monitoring FIPV.

Keywords: cats; feline infectious peritonitis; mainland China; meta-analysis.

Grants and funding

Supported by the 111 Project D18007; a project funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).