Graduation Year

2025

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Abstract

Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) is a lethal disease caused by a strain of feline coronavirus (FCoV) and a major cause of death in cats. With no widely accessible, effective FIP treatment available, prevention is crucial in cats predisposed to FIP. Determining FIP risk through genetic testing requires an understanding of the genetic factors behind vulnerability to FIP, but previous research has been limited by high genetic variation in donated subjects. A number of polymorphisms and associated genes have been found to contribute to the FIP disease outcome, but a focus on purebred cats due to their low genetic diversity has limited the usefulness of these results in the development of predictive tools for general cat populations.

The proposed study aims to discover additional polymorphisms by sequencing and comparing regions of the genomes of FIP and non-FIP cats from an inbred cat population of domestic shorthairs. This will allow for the identification of genetic differences associated with the differing disease outcomes in a population with low genetic diversity that could better represent broader cat populations. Additionally, FIP inheritance patterns have been observed in the selected cat population that suggest linkages between genes associated with FIP and genes responsible for specific physical characteristics such as fur color and tail deformities, which could help narrow down the regions of the genome containing the genes of interest. The discovery of genetic markers of FIP through this research would contribute to the development of genetic screening methods that could aid in the prevention of FIP.

This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

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