Though all breeds can be affected, this malady seems to be mostly associated with Persians. I had not encountered it before in our breed, and knew very little about it until I received a message from an NFO breeder whose young male died of it. Since then I have located a few mentions of the disease in English-language books, and am sharing them with you here.
In Switzerland, FFH (FIFé) has advised breeders to test their breed cats for PKD. I don't have any figures as how many Forest Cats may have tested positive.
How about other countries? Please let me know if you have more pertinent information.
POLYCYSTIC KIDNEYS
In a cat born with polycystic kidneys, multiple cysts replacing normal tissue eventually cause kidney failure.
from The Cornell Book of Cats, Second Edition
edited by Mordecai Siegal.
©Mordecai Siegal & Cornell University, 1989, 1987; ISBN 0-679-44953-1KIDNEY DISEASES
Congenital Defects
Cats may be born with malformations of the kidneys. They inlude cystic kidneys, malpositions and incomplete development. Such defects are often accompanied by abnormalities in the reproductive tract. Severe defects produce neonatal death. Others do not produce symptoms until later in life, when kidney damage reaches the point of failure.
Congenital obstructions in the urinary tract can cause swollen or infected kidneys. It may be difficult to tell whether the condition is congenital or acquired without special examinations. This could make a difference in treatment. Veterinary workup is desirable.
from Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook
Delbert G. Carlson, D.V.M., James M. Giffin, M.D., & Liisa D.Carlson, D.M.V.
© 1995 Delbert G. Carlson, D.V.M. & James M. Giffin, M.D.
Howell Book House, MACMILLAN, ISBN 0-87605-796-2Polycystic Kidney Disease (Lethal)
Kittens born with polycystic kidney disease have greatly enlarged abdomens and death ensues at about six to seven weeks of age. Affected kittens were shown to have enlarged kidneys, composed of dilated cystic channels, and cystic bile ducts of the liver. In cats with polycystic kidney disease, renal function deteriorates leading to renal disease by three to ten years of age.
‘According to our experts, by far the most of the cases are easy to call, especially in cats over eight to ten months old. If the cat has no kidney cysts by that time, the cat does not have PKD. If a cat has mutiple cysts in both kidneys (always bi-lateral, remember), then the cat almost assuredly has PKD. The gray area for diagnostic purposes comes in cats that are of middle to later years, that have a few cysts in both kidneys. There are cases of acquired multicystic disease - these are not PKD and not hereditary. In these gray area cases, Dr. Biller says that knowing the family history can be the only determinant on which is which. Otherwise, the simple fact that the cat is a Persian will be enough for most veterinarians to pronounce that the cat has PKD.' - Anna Sadler, Persian breeder.
Polycystic kidney disease is seen as an autosomal dominant gene. While potentially present in all breeds, experience indicates that it occurs significantly more frequently in Persian cats and those breeds which have used Persian cats in their pedigrees, such as Exotic Shorthairs and Himalayans [note: Colorpoint Persians].
Fortunately, cats can be scanned with the use of ultrsound equipment at the age of nine to ten months to determine whether or not the kidneys are cystic. If the kidneys do prove to be cystic, the cat can be withheld from the breeding program. If the cat is of particular importance to a breeding program it can be rescanned later. In other cases, the at who scanned positive for polycystic kidney disease can be eliminated from the breeding program right away.
‘You don't have the right to euthanize a cat with PKD, unless it's seriously ill. Healthy cats should be neutered and kept as pets. If every responsible breeder would scan their cats, we would be rid of the problem within a generation.' - Monique Malm, Persian breeder.
from Robinson's Genetics for Cat Breeders & Veterinarians
Published by Butterworth Heineman, ISBN 0 7506 40693
©Reed Educational and Professional Publishing LTD, 1999La Maladie Polykystique
Dans une article d'Atout Chat magazine, Dr. Catherine Kretz répond à la question suivante, envoyé par M. Filippi: 'Concernant la polykystose des voies biliaires, maladie qui, avec l'hépatite, frappe nombre de norvégiens, avez-vousdes informations à nous fournir? Nous n'avons lu aucun article sur cette maladie, contrairement à la polykystose rénale qui sévit notamment chez les persans.'
La polykystose rénale du chat est présent bien connue, et en voie d'éradication dans la race persane grâce à un sévère programme de dépistage et d'écartement de la reproduction des sujets atteints. Cette maladie héréditaire atteint principalement les persans, mais d'autres races, dont le norvégien, ne sont pas exemptes de cette tare. Selon le professeur Cotard, 'aux lésions rénale peuvent s'ajouter des lésions kystiques hépatiques, pulmonaires et pancréatiques. Les lésions kystiques hépatiques sont localisées sur les voies biliares ou dans le parenchyme hépatique. L'ensembles de ce tableau lésional constitue la maladie polycystique, connue également chez l'homme et dont le caractère hérèditaire autosomal dominant (forme adulte) ou récessif (forme infantile) est parfaitement établi'.
Il est possible que, chez le chat comme dans d'autres espèces, il existe deux formes de maladie polykystique. L'une d'elles serait liée à un gène autosomal dominant; elle est caractérisée principalement par des kystes rénaux; elle est facile à éradiqur en raison du caractère dominant de l'allèle qui la commande. L'autre est due à un gène autosomal récessif; elle entraîne l'apparition de kystes sur divers organes.
La médecine vétérinaire manque encore de cas répertoriés pour ces formess de polykystose....
Dr. Catherine Kretz
Atout Chat, septembre 2002Further Material Online
The CFA site features an excellent page devoted to PKD, with disturbing pictures of the feline kidney in various stages of deterioration:
http://www.cfainc.org/health/pkd.htm/American Forest Cat breeder Cheryl Sarges maintains a page devoted to PKD test results, along with cardiomyopathy results. She will be happy to post breeders' test results; check the site for guidelines:
http://www.winterfyre.com/pkd/pkd.html
She is also willing to answer your questions: E-mail: cheryl@winterfyre.comIn deutscher Sprache, Joerg Hoebner zitiert das Site des Bundesverband Praktischer Tierärzte e.V.,
unter der RubrikTiergesundheit for Hobbytierhalter;
http://www.tierarerzteverband.de/tiergsnd/vagpkd.htm<
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