Table 1.
Common Causes of Infectious Diarrhea in the Cat
| Organism Type | Specific Disease | Diagnostic Method(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Viral | Feline parvovirus* | Fecal antigen |
| ELISA serology | ||
| Feline coronovirus | Serology (supportive) | |
| Bacterial | Campylobacter species* | Fecal cytology |
| Fecal culture | ||
| Clostridium perfringens* | Fecal cytology | |
| Fecal enterotoxin ELISA | ||
| Fecal PCR | ||
| Salmonella species | Fecal culture | |
| Fungal | Histoplasma capsulatum | Rectal wall cytology |
| Serum/urine antigen assay | ||
| Protozoal | Giardia duodenalis* | Fecal saline smear |
| Fecal flotation (ZnSO4) | ||
| Fecal antigen ELISA | ||
| Tritrichomonas foetus* | Fecal saline smear | |
| Fecal culture | ||
| Fecal PCR | ||
| Cryptosporidium species | Fecal saline smear | |
| Fecal ELISA | ||
| Isospora species | Fecal flotation | |
| Helminth | Toxocara cati* | Fecal flotation |
| Toxascaris leonina | Fecal flotation | |
| Trichuris vulpis | Fecal flotation | |
| Ancylostoma tubaeforme | Fecal flotation |
Diseases discussed in the text are marked with an asterisk (*).