Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Where FeLV virus is found in cats with low blood cells
By Abdollahi-Pirbazari, Mehdi et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2019·Department of Internal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Comparative measurement of FeLV load in hemolymphatic tissues of cats with hematologic cytopenias.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 31 cats showing signs of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infection, such as anemia and low blood cell counts, were tested to find out where the virus was most present in their bodies. Samples from their blood, bone marrow, and spleen were analyzed, revealing that the spleen had the highest levels of the virus. Most of the cats tested positive for FeLV in their blood, and the study confirmed that the spleen is a key area for detecting this virus in affected cats. Understanding where FeLV is found can help veterinarians better diagnose and treat cats with this serious infection.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a serious viral infection in cats. FeLV is found in some tissues, such as spleen, lymph nodes and epithelial tissues. However, there is controversy about the organ in which the virus can be reliably detected in infected cats. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of viral infection in hemolymphatic tissues, including blood, bone marrow and spleen by reverse-transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). RESULTS: A total of 31 cats with clinical signs of FeLV infection associated with at least a single lineage hematologic cytopenia were included in this study. Peripheral blood, bone marrow and spleen samples were obtained from each cat. Complete blood counts, biochemical tests, and a rapid test to detect FeLV p27 antigen in blood samples of cats were performed. Of 31 cats, 9 had anemia alone, 4 had thrombocytopenia alone, 2 had neutropenia alone, 9 had bicytopenia of anemia and thrombocytopenia, 3 had bicytopenia of anemia and neutropenia, and 4 had pancytopenia. FeLV RNA was then detected by RT-qPCR in the whole blood, bone marrow and spleen. Viral RNA copy numbers were detected in all cats by RT-qPCR whereas 24 out of 31 cats were positive for the serum FeLV antigen. We detected a significantly greater number of viral RNA in the spleen compared with the whole blood and bone marrow. CONCLUSION: Spleen is a site where FeLV is most frequently detected in cats with hematologic cytopenias.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31856815/