Introduction
Bordetella in cats is diagnosed through identifying the Bordetella bronchiseptica bacteria or using a PCR test. The bacteria are most often collected using swabs of the nose and/or throat.
Diagnosing Bordetella in Cats
Lab tests
When a cat comes into a veterinarian office presenting symptoms that indicate a possible bordetella infection, the veterinarian will take a swab and collect samples of the cat’s nasal passage or from deep within the cat’s throat. The swab is then placed in a sterile tube and sent to an outside lab for identification. PCR tests look for the bacteria’s specific DNA instead of the bacteria themselves.
Symptom and histrory analysis
As outside lab results often take 48-72 hours, many veterinarians may make an initial diagnosis of feline bordetella based on the cat’s history and symptoms. If the cat lives, or recently lived in, an area which housed multiple cat populations, or if the cat was in a household where a dog was recently diagnosed with bordetella, then the cat is in a high risk category for bordetella disease. Bordetella symptoms are very similar to certain types of viral upper respiratory symptoms, and so the cat’s symptoms are not normally used as the only diagnostic tool.
Many cats that are ill with bordetella are also ill with additional upper respiratory diseases, or their immune system is weakened by another underlying medical condition. Complete blood tests, including feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus tests, are normally conducted as well in order to gain a better view of what other types of conditions may be contributing to the symptoms.