Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Signs of feline leukemia virus infection in cats from low-risk areas
By Beatty, Julia A et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2011·Faculty of Veterinary Science, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Markers of feline leukaemia virus infection or exposure in cats from a region of low seroprevalence.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with blood issues or lymphoma was tested for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infection, and some showed signs of the virus even without typical symptoms. In a household where FeLV was confirmed, three out of four cats tested positive for the virus. However, among 169 healthy young cats, all tests came back negative, indicating they were not exposed to FeLV. This study suggests that other factors might be causing the health problems in the affected cats, and using advanced testing methods like qPCR could help diagnose FeLV in areas where it is less common.
Abstract
Molecular techniques have demonstrated that cats may harbour feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) provirus in the absence of antigenaemia. Using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), p27 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), anti-feline oncornavirus-associated cell-membrane-antigen (FOCMA) antibody testing and virus isolation (VI) we investigated three groups of cats. Among cats with cytopenias or lymphoma, 2/75 were transiently positive for provirus and anti-FOCMA antibodies were the only evidence of exposure in another. In 169 young, healthy cats, all tests were negative. In contrast, 3/4 cats from a closed household where FeLV was confirmed by isolation, had evidence of infection. Our results support a role for factors other than FeLV in the pathogenesis of cytopenias and lymphoma. There was no evidence of exposure in young cats. In regions of low prevalence, where the positive predictive value of antigen testing is low, qPCR may assist with diagnosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21880527/