mycoplasma felis respiratory infection

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, poor Indigo! He sure has been through a lot.

Just for clarification (in case anyone else is reading this question) you are talking about the respiratory form of mycoplasma felis. The other type of mycoplasma is something called mycoplasma HEMOfelis. This used to be called hemobartonella. Mycoplasma hemofelis is spread by fleas and causes anemia (decrease in red blood cells).

However, mycoplasma felis (no hemo) is different. It is believed that in most cats that have respiratory disease complicated by mycoplasma, the mycoplasma is not the main culprit but simply a bystander. It may make existing respiratory disease either worse or more difficult to treat.

So, some cats can be carriers for mycoplasma felis and never get rid of the organism completely. However, they only shed this organism when they are actively having nasal discharge.

I did a bunch of research for you in a large database of cases and could not find much information on how risky it would be to the other cats if Indigo was actually shedding mycoplasma felis. It seems to be that if there was another organism present (such as herpesvirus) and then they got mycoplasma then sickness could happen. However, it is not a common occurrence. The general consensus seems to be that there is not a big concern about a cat spreading mycoplasma felis to other cats.

Sorry I can't give you a definite answer, but I think you are doing all the right things.

Hope all is well!

Dr. Marie.


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