Table 1.
Vaccination recommendations in immunocompromised cats.
| Condition or Situation That Could Be Associated with Immunocompromise | Measure FPV Antibodies * | Recommended Vaccination Protocol |
|---|---|---|
| Acute disease or short-term immunosuppressive treatment | No ** | (1); alternatively: (2) |
| Congenital immunodeficiency disorders | Yes | (3) |
| Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection | Yes | (5); (6); (7) |
| Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) infection | Yes | (5); (6); (8) |
| Tumours | Yes | If otherwise healthy and no current chemotherapy: (3) |
| Diabetes mellitus | Yes | If well controlled: (3) If poorly controlled: (1) until improvement; alternatively: (2) |
| Chronic kidney disease | Yes | (7) |
| Asplenia | Yes | (3); In case of elective splenectomy: (9) |
| Long-term glucocorticoid therapy | Yes | If cat is on low-dose anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid treatment: (3) If cat is on high-dose or long-term immunosuppressive glucocorticoid treatment: (4); alternatively: (2) |
| Long-term cyclosporine therapy | Yes | Primary vaccination series: (4); alternatively: (2) Booster vaccination (if cat otherwise healthy): (3) |
| Chemotherapy for tumours | Yes | (4); alternatively: (2) |
| General anaesthesia/peri-operative period | Potentially *** | (1); if vaccination cannot be avoided (e.g., trap-neuter): (3) |
| Senior cats (>11 years) | Yes | Primary vaccination series: (10) Booster vaccination: (3) |
* To avoid unnecessary vaccination against feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) in case antibody levels are adequate. ** Vaccination should be avoided even if no antibodies are present; therefore measuring FPV antibodies is not useful in this situation. *** Depending on the situation, antibody measurement might be useful in adult cats in this situation to avoid unnecessary vaccinations. (1) Postpone vaccination until recovered/end of treatment. (2) Consider administering passive immunisation (transfer of antibodies against FPV, feline calicivirus (FCV), and feline herpesvirus (FHV)) if available in case of high infectious pressure. (3) Vaccinate as for clinically healthy cats. (4) Postpone vaccination until at least three months after the end of treatment. (5) Keep retrovirus-infected cats strictly indoors. (6) Only consider vaccination if the cat is clinically healthy. (7) Base decision to vaccinate on risk-benefit ratio, e.g., avoid vaccinating indoor-only adult cats (unless the cat lacks FPV antibodies). (8) Consider annual booster of core vaccines. (9) Complete vaccination at least two weeks before surgery. (10) Give two injections of primary vaccination series at a three to four week interval (including MLV and rabies vaccines) OR perform FPV and rabies antibody measurement after the first injection to verify if protection is adequate.