Diseases associated with feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus infection: A retrospective study of 1470 necropsied cats (2010–2020)

Mello, Lauren Santos de; Ribeiro, Paula Reis; Almeida, Bruno Albuquerque de; Bandinelli, Marcele Bettim; Sonne, Luciana; Driemeier, David; Pavarini, Saulo Petinatti

doi:10.1016/j.cimid.2023.101963

Cited by 11 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…FeLV is one of the main pathogenic and lethal viruses infecting domestic cats [4]. In Brazil, previous studies have reported high FeLV prevalence rates (from 26.9% to 31%), including in the South region [13,16]. The present study confirmed this FeLV high frequency since approximately 30% of the tested cats were FeLV positive in any testing procedure.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…FeLV prevalence data varies from 2.4% to 3.6% in countries in the Northern Hemisphere, such as the United States, Canada, and Germany [10][11][12]. On the contrary, a much higher prevalence of FeLV infection (usually >20%) has been observed in different Brazilian regions according to recent reports [13][14][15][16]. The present study aimed to investigate the FeLV frequency, to identify the risk factors associated with FeLV infections, and to determine the main disease outcomes in an urban cat population from South Brazil.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Epidemiological Insights into Feline Leukemia Virus Infections in an Urban Cat (Felis catus) Population from Brazil

Diesel,

de Mello,

de Oliveira Santana

et al. 2024

Animals

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Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus distributed worldwide in domestic cats and with different outcomes (progressive, regressive, abortive, focal). The present study reports an epidemiological survey of FeLV frequency and the evaluation of some risk factors and the two main disease outcomes (progressive and regressive) in an urban cat population from Brazil. A total of 366 cats with sociodemographic information and p27 FeLV antigen test performed were included in the study. FeLV DNA (provirus) in the blood samples of all cats was detected via real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Plasma samples from 109 FeLV-positive and FeLV-negative cats were also submitted to reverse transcription (RT-qPCR) to determine the FeLV viral load. The results demonstrated that 112 (30.6%) cats were positive through the p27 antigen and/or qPCR. A risk factor analysis demonstrated that cats without vaccination against FeLV (OR 9.9, p < 0.001), clinically ill (OR 2.9, p < 0.001), with outdoors access (OR 2.7, p < 0.001), and exhibiting apathetic behavior (OR 3.1, p < 0.001) were more likely to be infected with FeLV. FeLV-infected cats were also more likely to present with anemia (OR 13, p < 0.001) and lymphoma (OR 13.7, p = 0.001). A comparative analysis of the different detection methods in a subset of 109 animals confirmed FeLV infection in 58 cats, including 38 (65.5%) with progressive, 16 (27.6%) with regressive, and 4 (6.9%) with probably focal outcome diseases. In conclusion, this study demonstrates a high prevalence of FeLV in this urban cat population from Brazil and highlights the need to establish more effective prevention strategies (such as viral testing, vaccination programs, specific care for FeLV-positive cats) to reduce diseases associated with this virus in Brazil.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiological Insights into Feline Leukemia Virus Infections in an Urban Cat (Felis catus) Population from Brazil

Diesel,

de Mello,

de Oliveira Santana

et al. 2024

Animals

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“…The primary dermatological problem of the cat presented here was pruritus; therefore, the most likely differential diagnoses included: fleas or flea allergy dermatitis, cheyletiellosis, demodicosis, dermatophytosis, neoplastic and psychogenic causes, food allergy, and atopy (Favrot et al, 2012;Favrot, 2013). Skin diseases associated with both two immunosuppressive feline viruses, FIV and FeLV, enclose bacterial skin infections, nonhealing wounds, exfoliative dermatitis, generalized pruritus, dermatophytosis, demodicosis, and others (de Mello et al, 2023). Because the cat in this study was FIV and FeLV negative, immunosuppression related to both feline viruses did not come in question.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Successful Treatment with Dexamethasone of a Cat with Suspected Feline Atopic Skin Syndrome Not Responding to Prednisolone

Bakır,

Voyvoda

2023

Animal Health Production and Hygiene

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A 6-year-old client-owned indoor, female neutered Persian-exotic shorthair cat was presented for further investigation of severe itchy lesions on the head and neck to our polyclinic. The patient had previously been applied selamectin and a cleansing, soothing, and protecting shampoo, but did not respond positively to the treatment. After the exclusion of ectoparasite infestation, retroviral infection, neoplastic and psychogenic causes, and food allergy, a suspect diagnosis of FASS in the cat was made. Although skin lesions clearly improved, the intensity of pruritus did not reduce during the 4-week prednisolone therapy. Based on these results, the case was considered to be resistant to prednisolone. Treatment with dexamethasone provided a fast and complete recovery of clinical signs and the cat has been clinically healthy maintained for over 2-years. This study suggests that oral dexamethasone can be a good alternative for treating cats with suspected FASS that has not responded positively to prednisolone therapy.

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“…FCoV [8][9][10][11][12][13][14], FPV [22][23][24][25][26], and FeLV [27][28][29] are prevalent worldwide, and coinfection with these viruses is common [8,[30][31][32]. These viruses continue to be a major factor affecting feline animals, especially kittens and multi-cat families.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…FCoV [8][9][10][11][12][13][14], FPV [22][23][24][25][26], and FeLV [27][28][29] are prevalent in China and other countries worldwide, and coinfection with these two and/or three viruses is common [8,[30][31][32], resulting in huge economic damage and increasing health-care attention. FCoV, FPV, and FeLV cause similar signs of depression, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and weight loss [1,3,16,18,19], making it difficult to differential diagnosis of these diseases based only on clinical manifestations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

One-step triplex TaqMan quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction for the detection of feline coronavirus, feline panleukopenia virus, and feline leukemia virus

He,

Feng,

Shi

et al. 2024

Vet World

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Background and Aim: Feline coronavirus (FCoV), feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) are prevalent throughout China and significantly threaten cat health. These viruses cause similar manifestations and pathological damage. Rapid and accurate diagnosis depends on detection in the laboratory. This study aimed to establish a reliable and rapid method for accurate detection of FCoV, FPV, and FeLV so that a definite diagnosis can be made and effective measures can be taken to prevent and control viral infection. Materials and Methods: We designed three pairs of specific primers and probes for the detection of FCoV 5′ untranslated region, FPV viral protein 2, and FeLV pol genes. Recombinant plasmid constructs were generated for use as standard plasmid constructs. Optimal reaction conditions, including primer and probe concentrations, reaction cycles, and annealing temperatures, were obtained on the basis of optimization tests. One-step triplex real-time reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was successfully established to simultaneously detect FCoV, FPV, and FeLV. The specificity, sensitivity, and repeatability of the assay were analyzed, and its applicability was validated by testing 1175 clinical samples. Results: One-step triplex RT-qPCR had a high degree of specificity only for the detection of FCoV, FPV, and FeLV; it had high sensitivity with limits of detection of 139.904, 143.099, and 152.079 copies/reaction for p-FCoV, p-FPV, and p-FeLV standard plasmid constructs, respectively, and it had reliable repeatability with 0.06%–0.87% intra-assay coefficients of variations. A total of 1175 clinical samples were examined for FCoV, FPV, and FeLV using triplex RT-qPCR, and the FCoV, FPV, and FeLV positivity rates were 18.47%, 19.91%, and 47.57%, respectively. The clinical sensitivity and specificity of one-step triplex RT-qPCR were 93.07% and 97.99%, respectively. Conclusion: We developed a rapid and reliable one-step triplex RT-qPCR method for the detection of FCoV, FPV, and FeLV, which could be used as a diagnostic tool for clinical monitoring and diagnosis. Keywords: detection method, feline coronavirus, feline leukemia virus, feline panleukopenia virus, multiplex reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

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Diseases associated with feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus infection: A retrospective study of 1470 necropsied cats (2010–2020)

Cited by 11 publications

References 72 publications

Epidemiological Insights into Feline Leukemia Virus Infections in an Urban Cat (Felis catus) Population from Brazil

Epidemiological Insights into Feline Leukemia Virus Infections in an Urban Cat (Felis catus) Population from Brazil

Successful Treatment with Dexamethasone of a Cat with Suspected Feline Atopic Skin Syndrome Not Responding to Prednisolone

One-step triplex TaqMan quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction for the detection of feline coronavirus, feline panleukopenia virus, and feline leukemia virus

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