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Pan-European Study on the Prevalence of the Feline Leukaemia Virus Infection – Reported by the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD Europe)

Authors :
Nadine Studer
Hans Lutz
Claude Saegerman
Enikö Gönczi
Marina L. Meli
Gianluca Boo
Katrin Hartmann
Margaret J. Hosie
Karin Moestl
Séverine Tasker
Sándor Belák
Albert Lloret
Corine Boucraut-Baralon
Herman F. Egberink
Maria-Grazia Pennisi
Uwe Truyen
Tadeusz Frymus
Etienne Thiry
Fulvio Marsilio
Diane Addie
Manfred Hochleithner
Filip Tkalec
Zsuzsanna Vizi
Anna Brunetti
Boyko Georgiev
Louisa F. Ludwig-Begall
Flurin Tschuor
Carmel T. Mooney
Catarina Eliasson
Janne Orro
Helle Johansen
Kirsi Juuti
Igor Krampl
Kaspars Kovalenko
Jakov Šengaut
Cristina Sobral
Petra Borska
Simona Kovaříková
Regina Hofmann-Lehmann
Source :
Viruses, Vol 11, Iss 11, p 993 (2019)
Publication Year :
2019
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2019.

Abstract

Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus associated with fatal disease in progressively infected cats. While testing/removal and vaccination led to a decreased prevalence of FeLV, recently, this decrease has reportedly stagnated in some countries. This study aimed to prospectively determine the prevalence of FeLV viraemia in cats taken to veterinary facilities in 32 European countries. FeLV viral RNA was semiquantitatively detected in saliva, using RT-qPCR as a measure of viraemia. Risk and protective factors were assessed using an online questionnaire to report geographic, demographic, husbandry, FeLV vaccination, and clinical data. The overall prevalence of FeLV viraemia in cats visiting a veterinary facility, of which 10.4% were shelter and rescue cats, was 2.3% (141/6005; 95% CI: 2.0%−2.8%) with the highest prevalences in Portugal, Hungary, and Italy/Malta (5.7%−8.8%). Using multivariate analysis, seven risk factors (Southern Europe, male intact, 1−6 years of age, indoor and outdoor or outdoor-only living, living in a group of ≥5 cats, illness), and three protective factors (Northern Europe, Western Europe, pedigree cats) were identified. Using classification and regression tree (CART) analysis, the origin of cats in Europe, pedigree, and access to outdoors were important predictors of FeLV status. FeLV-infected sick cats shed more viral RNA than FeLV-infected healthy cats, and they suffered more frequently from anaemia, anorexia, and gingivitis/stomatitis than uninfected sick cats. Most cats had never been FeLV-vaccinated; vaccination rates were indirectly associated with the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. In conclusion, we identified countries where FeLV was undetectable, demonstrating that the infection can be eradicated and highlighting those regions where awareness and prevention should be increased.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
19994915
Volume :
11
Issue :
11
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Viruses
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.b064043dc7c4a61bad7606a18d88252
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/v11110993