Pan-European Study on the Prevalence of the Feline Leukaemia Virus Infection – Reported by the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD Europe)
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...
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MDPI AG
2019-10-01
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| Series: | Viruses |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/11/11/993 |
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| author | 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 |
| author_facet | 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 |
| author_sort | Nadine Studer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T20:32:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-db064043dc7c4a61bad7606a18d88252 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4915 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T20:32:01Z |
| publishDate | 2019-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Viruses |
| spelling | doaj.art-db064043dc7c4a61bad7606a18d882522022-12-22T03:17:43ZengMDPI AGViruses1999-49152019-10-01111199310.3390/v11110993v11110993Pan-European Study on the Prevalence of the Feline Leukaemia Virus Infection – Reported by the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD Europe)Nadine Studer0Hans Lutz1Claude Saegerman2Enikö Gönczi3Marina L. Meli4Gianluca Boo5Katrin Hartmann6Margaret J. Hosie7Karin Moestl8Séverine Tasker9Sándor Belák10Albert Lloret11Corine Boucraut-Baralon12Herman F. Egberink13Maria-Grazia Pennisi14Uwe Truyen15Tadeusz Frymus16Etienne Thiry17Fulvio Marsilio18Diane Addie19Manfred Hochleithner20Filip Tkalec21Zsuzsanna Vizi22Anna Brunetti23Boyko Georgiev24Louisa F. Ludwig-Begall25Flurin Tschuor26Carmel T. Mooney27Catarina Eliasson28Janne Orro29Helle Johansen30Kirsi Juuti31Igor Krampl32Kaspars Kovalenko33Jakov Šengaut34Cristina Sobral35Petra Borska36Simona Kovaříková37Regina Hofmann-Lehmann38Clinical Laboratory, Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services, and Center for Clinical Studies, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandClinical Laboratory, Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services, and Center for Clinical Studies, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Research Unit of Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Applied to Veterinary, Fundamental and Applied Research for Animal and Health (FARAH) Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, B-4000 Liège, BelgiumClinical Laboratory, Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services, and Center for Clinical Studies, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandClinical Laboratory, Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services, and Center for Clinical Studies, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Geography, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandClinic of Small Animal Medicine, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, 80539 Munich, GermanyMRC- University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow G61 1QH, UKInstitute of Virology, Department for Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, AustriaBristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK & Chief Medical Officer, Linnaeus Group, Shirley, Solihull B90 4BN, UKSwedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health (BVF), 750 07 Uppsala, SwedenFundació Hospital Clínic Veterinari, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, SpainScanelis laboratory, 31770 Colomiers, FranceUniversity of Utrecht, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, 3584 CL Utrecht, NetherlandsDipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università di Messina, 98168 Messina, ItalyInstitute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Small Animal Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, 02-787 Warsaw, PolandVeterinary Virology and Animal Viral Diseases, Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, FARAH Research Centre, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Liège University, B-4000 Liège, BelgiumFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Teramo, 64100 Teramo, ItalyVeterinary Diagnostic Services, School of Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UKTierklinik Strebersdorf, 1210 Vienna, AustriaVeterinarska klinika Kreszinger, 10360 Sesvete, Zagreb, CroatiaUniversity of Veterinary Medicine, 1078 Budapest, HungarySchool of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UKInstitute of Biology and Immunology of Reproduction, 1113 Sofia, BulgariaVeterinary Virology and Animal Viral Diseases, Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, FARAH Research Centre, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Liège University, B-4000 Liège, BelgiumKleintierklinik BolligerTschuor AG, Fachtierärzte für Kleintiere, 4665 Oftringen – Zofingen, SwitzerlandSchool of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, IrelandJamaren - Swedish Veterinary Feline Study Group, 275 71 Lövestad, SwedenLoomakliinik, 51014 Tartu, EstoniaBygholm Dyrehospital, 8700 Horsens, DenmarkCatVet Kissaklinikka, 00400 Helsinki, FinlandSlovak Small Animal Veterinary Association, 821 02 Bratislava, SlovakiaFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, Latvia University of Lifesciences and Technologies, LV-3004 Jelgava, LatviaJakov Veterinary Centre, Gerosios Vilties g. 1, LT-03147 Vilnius, LithuaniaVetalmada, small animal clinic, 2800-052 Almada, PortugalSmall Animal Emergency Clinic, 637 00 Brno-Jundrov, Czech RepublicDepartment of Animal Protection, Welfare and Behavior, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, 612 42 Brno, Czech RepublicClinical Laboratory, Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services, and Center for Clinical Studies, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandFeline 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.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/11/11/993felvretrovirusprevalencerisk factorsprotective factorsrt-qpcrvirus sheddingvaccinationgross domestic product at purchasing power parity per capitaveterinary sciences |
| spellingShingle | 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 Pan-European Study on the Prevalence of the Feline Leukaemia Virus Infection – Reported by the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD Europe) Viruses felv retrovirus prevalence risk factors protective factors rt-qpcr virus shedding vaccination gross domestic product at purchasing power parity per capita veterinary sciences |
| title | Pan-European Study on the Prevalence of the Feline Leukaemia Virus Infection – Reported by the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD Europe) |
| title_full | Pan-European Study on the Prevalence of the Feline Leukaemia Virus Infection – Reported by the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD Europe) |
| title_fullStr | Pan-European Study on the Prevalence of the Feline Leukaemia Virus Infection – Reported by the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD Europe) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pan-European Study on the Prevalence of the Feline Leukaemia Virus Infection – Reported by the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD Europe) |
| title_short | Pan-European Study on the Prevalence of the Feline Leukaemia Virus Infection – Reported by the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD Europe) |
| title_sort | pan european study on the prevalence of the feline leukaemia virus infection reported by the european advisory board on cat diseases abcd europe |
| topic | felv retrovirus prevalence risk factors protective factors rt-qpcr virus shedding vaccination gross domestic product at purchasing power parity per capita veterinary sciences |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/11/11/993 |
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