01 - Feline Leukemia Virus

Question 1

(FeLV)

1. what kind of virus is it?

Answer 1

1. RNA retrovirus

Question 2

(FeLV)

(prevalence)

1. what cats are most susceptible?

Answer 2

1. young kittens (< 4 mo)

(most prevalent in free roaming cats)

Question 3

(FeLV)

(transmission)

1. primarily how?
2. queens shed in milk?
3. transplacental possible?
4. can survive how long in environment?

Answer 3

1. through saliva (grooming, bite wounds, sharing food bowls)
2. yep
3. yep
4. max of 48 hours - killed by common disinfectants

Question 4

(FeLV)

(Pathogenesis)

1. after entry, where does FeLV replicate?
2. FeLV can also infect bone marrow, causing circulation of infected what?
3. FeLV also infects glandular cells, why is this important?

Answer 4

1. lymphoid tissue

(if immune response effective, infection may be eliminated)

2. leukocytes and platelets
3. at this stage, infected cats are contagious (virus shed in body secretions)

Question 5

(FeLV)

1. may cats over 4 mo resistant to infection
2. most cats develop a transient infection that is eliminated within 4 to 6 weeks.
3. vaccinated cats have a brief transient infection but resist persistent infection
4. some cats that recover from transient infection become carriers
5. persistent infection is eventually fatal

Question 6

(FeLV)

(Cx)

1. what effect of FeLV leads to many non-specific signs? (wt loss, fever, dehydration, anemia, diarrhea, lymphadenopathy…)

Answer 6

1. immunosuppression

Question 7

(FeLV)

(Cx)

1. FeLV can be a primary cause of what cancer?

Answer 7

1. lymphoma

Question 8

(FeLV)

(Cx)

1. see what on CBC with FeLV commonly?

Answer 8

1. non-regen anemia

(FeLV related neutropenia or thrombocytopenia may occur)

Question 9

(FeLV)

(Cx)

1. secondary infections are common
2. may also get immune mediated disorders (IMHA, pemphigus, etc)
3. infected queens may have reproductive failure

Question 10

(FeLV)

(dx)

1. test all cats before vx and before bringing a new cat into the house or cattery

Question 11

(FeLV)

(dx)

(ELISA)

1. rapid screening tests; detect infection earlier than IFA tests
2. detects FeLV p27 antigen - affected by vx or maternal antibodies?

Answer 11

2. no

Question 12

(FeLV)

(dx)

(IFA test)

1. preferred for confirmation of FeLV vs ELISA - why?

Answer 12

1. IFA is more specific

(may be neg in early infections)

Question 13

(FeLV)

(dx)

1. what can be used to detect latent infections?
2. what is the “gold standard” for confirming positive test results with other methods?

Answer 13

1. PCR
2. virus isolation

Question 14

(FeLV)

(tx)

1. mostly supportive

Question 15

(FeLV)

(vx)

1. is it a core vx?
2. what cats should vx?

Answer 15

1. no
2. cats that go outdoors or neg cats living with infected cats