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OBJECTIVE To critically assess available data from controlled observational studies on the pathogenic role of Mycoplasma spp in the upper respiratory tract (URT) and lower respiratory tract (LRT) of cats. DESIGN Systematic review and meta-analysis. SAMPLE 12 studies. PROCEDURES Seven electronic databases were searched for relevant publications. Risk of bias was assessed via the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Meta-analyses, stratified by URT versus LRT disease, were performed to estimate pooled ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between Mycoplasma isolation and URT or LRT disease. Subanalyses by diagnostic method, sampling site, and environment (shelter vs nonshelter) were planned for studies on URT disease. RESULTS A significant association was found between isolation of mycoplasmal organisms and URT disease (pooled OR, 1.65; 95% Cl, 1.14 to 2.40) but not LRT disease (pooled OR, 1.56; 95% Cl, 0.51 to 4.76). The association with URT disease was only significant when conjunctival or pharyngeal samples from nonshelter cats were analyzed with a Mycoplasma felis-specific PCR assay. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested that M felis may be a primary pathogen in cats with URT disease, warranting treatment in infected cats. The environment was important to consider when interpreting a mycoplasma-positive sample because of aclinical carriage, especially in shelter cats. Further investigations are needed to determine the role, if any, of mycoplasmal organisms in LRT disease of cats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective-To determine the strength of the relationship between paradoxical breathing (PB) and spontaneous pleural diseases in dyspneic dogs and cats. Design-Cross-sectional study. Animals-Dogs (n = 195) and cats (194) with a recorded diagnosis of dyspnea examined at the National Veterinary Schools of Alfort and Toulouse (France) between January 2001 and October 2009. Procedures-Dogs and cats were divided into 2 groups according to the presence or absence of PB. Stratified analysis by species was performed. Signalment of affected animals and occurrence of PB were recorded. The relationship between PB and pleural diseases among dyspneic dogs and cats was analyzed. Results-A strong relationship between PB and pleural diseases was highlighted in multivariate analysis (dogs, OR = 12.6 and 95% confidence interval = 4.6 to 31.2; cats, OR = 14.1 and 95% confidence interval = 6.0 to 33.5). Paradoxical breathing prevalence among dyspneic dogs and cats was 27% and 64%, respectively. Occurrence of pleural diseases in dyspneic animals with and without PB was 49% and 9% in dogs and 66% and 13% in cats, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of PB as a predictor of pleural diseases were 0.67 and 0.83 in dyspneic dogs and 0.90 and 0.58 in dyspneic cats, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values of PB were 0.49 and 0.91 in dyspneic dogs and 0.66 and 0.87 in dyspneic cats, respectively. Age, sex, feline breeds, and canine morphotypes in patients with PB were not significantly different from those of other dyspneic animals. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-PB was strongly associated with pleural diseases in dyspneic dogs and cats. The presence of this clinical sign should prompt small animal practitioners to implement appropriate emergency procedures and guide their diagnostic strateav. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]