Prevalence of feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus in cats from southern Italy
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) are well-known retroviruses causing important infections in domestic cats worldwide. The goal of this study was to define the prevalence of FeLV and FIV infections in cat living indoor and outdoor in southern Italy.
The survey was conducted on 1322 stray and owned cats from the regions of Campania, Basilicata, and Calabria. It was carried out over a 10-year period to obtain a more realistic picture of the prevalence of these retroviral diseases in the country. FIV and FeLV status was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a commercial kit (SNAP Combo Plus FeLV/FIV, IDEXX). Risk factors were analysed by logistic regression.
The results showed that 101/1322 (7.64%) cats were positive for FeLV antigen and 110/1322 (8.32%) cats were positive for FIV antibody. Twenty-six of the 1322 cats (1.97%) were positive for both FIV and FeLV infection. A statistically significant association (p < 0.05) was found between year, province, region, lifestyle and risk of FeLV infection. FIV positivity was instead statistically associated only with year and lifestyle.
This study confirms the presence, at quite low, but not neglectable prevalence of FIV and FeLV also in the south of the Italian country thus highlighting the need to adopt control measures to limit their spread and at the same time to promote prevention and management practices for animal health protection.
“Prevalence of feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus in cats from southern Italy: a 10-year cross-sectional study”. Giovanna Fusco, et al. Front Vet Sci. 2023 Nov 6:10:1260081. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1260081.
Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1260081/full
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