Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
FIV infection in western Canadian cats linked to bites and oral
By Ravi, Madhu et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2010·Department of Veterinary Pathology, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Naturally acquired feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection in cats from western Canada: Prevalence, disease associations, and survival analysis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that 5.5% of cats tested in western Canada were positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), with a higher rate in older male cats. Many of these FIV-positive cats showed signs of lethargy and oral health issues, often linked to previous bite wounds. Despite some FIV-positive cats being euthanized, their overall lifespan was similar to that of FIV-negative cats. This suggests that while FIV can be present, many cats live relatively normal lives after diagnosis.
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Abstract
This retrospective study evaluated epidemiologic features and disease associations of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection in client owned cats from western Canada. Among 1205 cats that were tested 66 (5.5%) were positive for FIV antibody (FIV(+)) with a higher prevalence in males than females. FIV(+) cats were older than the overall population. Epidemiologic features and disease associations were compared between 58 FIV(+), but feline leukemia virus negative (FeLV(-)) cats and 58 age and sex matched FIV-negative (FIV(-)), FeLV(-) cats. FIV positivity was associated with a history of bite wounds, increasing age, and male gender. Lethargy and oral diseases were significantly associated with FIV positivity. Although several FIV(+) cats were euthanized, the survival time of FIV(+) cats after diagnosis was not significantly different from that of FIV(-) cats. In summary, FIV prevalence was low in cats from western Canada, clinical signs/diseases were mild, and lifespan was not different in FIV(+) cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20514250/