UF study shows newborn kittens have shot at survival thanks to immune-boosting...( works. We need to learn a lot mor...)

"We need to learn a lot more about the immunology of newborn kittens," he said.

Levy and Dr. Cynda Crawford, a postdoctoral associate in the college's department of pathobiology, are using a $6,400 grant from the Morris Animal Trust to refine the immune-boosting treatment.

The UF research team studied 50 kittens divided into four treatment groups and proved that antibodies in the serum -- a blood product - of adult cats could be transferred to kittens. The kittens studied included one group that nursed normally; one that did not nurse at all; one that did not nurse and received adult cat serum through abdominal injection; and one that did not nurse and received serum injections beneath the skin.

The researchers found that both serum administration methods were as effective as nursing. One of their goals is to establish a convenient dosage and to determine the best means to administer the serum efficiently and effectively.

"Since we now know that we can use antibodies found in the serum of normal adult cats to replace the ones missing from newborn kittens, we envision that, using widely available technology, most veterinary clinics would be able to deliver these lifesaving antibodies to at-risk kittens," Levy said.

Once their role in the study is complete, the kittens are adopted out to private homes after spay/neuter surgery and complete vaccinations.

"We have many left who still need homes," Levy said.

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Contact: Sarah Carey
careys@mail.vetmed.ufl.edu
352-392-4700 ext. 52
University of Florida
3-Jan-2000