High prevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) in Slovenia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalences of FIV and FeLV infections in domestic cats by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Of the 42 cats examined by the ELISA test, 14 (33.3 %) were seropositive for FIV antibody, 10 (23.8 %) for FeLV antigen, 1 (2.4 %) was positive for both viruses and 17 were negative for infection with either virus. In the PCR assay, 17 cats (40.5 %) were positive for FeLV, 11 (26.2%) for FIV, 9 (21.4%) for both viruses and 5 cats (11.9%) were negative for the presence of viral DNA. The average age of FIV positive cats was 6 and of FeLV 7 years. Infections were more common in outdoor cats (65% FIV, 61.1% FeLV positive) and in male cats (71.4% FIV, 80% FeLV). The results of both tests used in this study have shown high prevalence of both infections among cats in Slovenia. The ELISA method was found useful as a screening test for fast detection of FIV and FeLV infections, but additional testing with PCR was shown to be more effective in the characterization and progression of both infections.