Clinical, Morphological, and Immunohistochemical Characterization of Cutaneous Lymphocytosis in 23 Cats
February 2004
in “
Veterinary Dermatology
”
TLDR Cutaneous lymphocytosis in cats is a slowly progressing, relatively benign disease affecting older cats, often causing skin lesions and systemic signs.
The study characterized cutaneous lymphocytosis in 23 cats, focusing on clinical, morphological, and immunohistochemical features. The disease primarily affected older cats, with 61% having solitary lesions often accompanied by alopecia (73.9%), erythema, scaling, and ulceration, predominantly on the lateral thorax (43.5%). Pruritus was common (65.2%), and systemic signs included anorexia and weight loss. Lesions were marked by dermal infiltrations of well-differentiated CD3+ T-cells (100%) and CD79+ B-cells (64.3%). The disease was slowly progressive and relatively benign, though some cats were euthanized due to systemic signs. Histological and immunohistochemical evaluations could not reliably predict clinical outcomes.