What is coronavirus serology (the FIP test)?
Coronavirus serology is a laboratory test that detects antibodies in a cat,s blood sample against feline coronavirus (FCoV). However, this blood test does not have the ability to distinguish between different strains of FCoV, and cannot differentiate between strains that cause FIP and those more common strains that do not. Additionally, the presence of antibodies does not necessarily imply that the cat is currently infected with FCoV, although in practice it appears that in most antibody positive cats FCoV can be found. Although this blood test is often used as part of the investigation of a suspected case of FIP, it is not particularly helpful as a very large number of perfectly healthy cats have positive test results reflecting the high level of exposure to FCoV in the cat population (most strains being unlikely to cause any significant disease). In a healthy cat, the finding of antibodies against FCoV in a blood test is neither surprising nor alarming. This is common (as is the find
