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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)

Pan-European study on the prevalence of the Feline leukaemia virus infection - Reported by the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD Europe)
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 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.

FeLV, gross domestic product at purchasing power parity per capita, prevalence, protective factors, retrovirus, risk factors, RT-qPCR, vaccination, veterinary sciences, virus shedding
Studer, Nadine
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Lutz, Hans
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Saegerman, Claude
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Gönczi, Enikö
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Meli, Marina L.
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Boo, Gianluca
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Hartmann, Katrin
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Hosie, Margaret J.
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Moestl, Karin
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Tasker, Séverine
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Belák, Sándor
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Lloret, Albert
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Boucraut-Baralon, Corine
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Egberink, Herman F.
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Pennisi, Maria Grazia
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Truyen, Uwe
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Frymus, Tadeusz
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Thiry, Etienne
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Marsilio, Fulvio
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Addie, Diane
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Hochleithner, Manfred
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Tkalec, Filip
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Vizi, Zsuzsanna
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Brunetti, Anna
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Georgiev, Boyko
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Ludwig-Begall, Louisa F.
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Tschuor, Flurin
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Mooney, Carmel T.
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Eliasson, Catarina
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Orro, Janne
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Johansen, Helle
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Juuti, Kirsi
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Krampl, Igor
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Kovalenko, Kaspars
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Šengaut, Jakov
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Sobral, Cristina
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Borska, Petra
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Kovaříková, Simona
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Hofmann-Lehmann, Regina
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Studer, Nadine
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Lutz, Hans
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Saegerman, Claude
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Gönczi, Enikö
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Meli, Marina L.
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Boo, Gianluca
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Hartmann, Katrin
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Hosie, Margaret J.
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Moestl, Karin
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Tasker, Séverine
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Belák, Sándor
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Lloret, Albert
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Boucraut-Baralon, Corine
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Egberink, Herman F.
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Pennisi, Maria Grazia
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Truyen, Uwe
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Frymus, Tadeusz
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Thiry, Etienne
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Marsilio, Fulvio
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Addie, Diane
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Hochleithner, Manfred
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Tkalec, Filip
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Vizi, Zsuzsanna
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Brunetti, Anna
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Georgiev, Boyko
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Ludwig-Begall, Louisa F.
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Tschuor, Flurin
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Mooney, Carmel T.
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Eliasson, Catarina
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Orro, Janne
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Johansen, Helle
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Juuti, Kirsi
1873401c-8223-420e-9c0f-058482fc1a64
Krampl, Igor
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Kovalenko, Kaspars
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Šengaut, Jakov
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Sobral, Cristina
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Borska, Petra
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Kovaříková, Simona
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Hofmann-Lehmann, Regina
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Studer, Nadine, Lutz, Hans, Saegerman, Claude, Gönczi, Enikö, Meli, Marina L., Boo, Gianluca, Hartmann, Katrin, Hosie, Margaret J., Moestl, Karin, Tasker, Séverine, Belák, Sándor, Lloret, Albert, Boucraut-Baralon, Corine, Egberink, Herman F., Pennisi, Maria Grazia, Truyen, Uwe, Frymus, Tadeusz, Thiry, Etienne, Marsilio, Fulvio, Addie, Diane, Hochleithner, Manfred, Tkalec, Filip, Vizi, Zsuzsanna, Brunetti, Anna, Georgiev, Boyko, Ludwig-Begall, Louisa F., Tschuor, Flurin, Mooney, Carmel T., Eliasson, Catarina, Orro, Janne, Johansen, Helle, Juuti, Kirsi, Krampl, Igor, Kovalenko, Kaspars, Šengaut, Jakov, Sobral, Cristina, Borska, Petra, Kovaříková, Simona and Hofmann-Lehmann, Regina (2019) Pan-European study on the prevalence of the Feline leukaemia virus infection - Reported by the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD Europe). Viruses, 11 (11), [993]. (doi:10.3390/v11110993).

Record type: Article

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.

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viruses-11-00993 - Version of Record
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Accepted/In Press date: 27 October 2019
Published date: 29 October 2019
Keywords: FeLV, gross domestic product at purchasing power parity per capita, prevalence, protective factors, retrovirus, risk factors, RT-qPCR, vaccination, veterinary sciences, virus shedding

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 436430
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/436430
DOI: doi:10.3390/v11110993
PURE UUID: d5dce12a-69db-4ec7-ac34-33f34975f063
ORCID for Gianluca Boo: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4078-8221

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 10 Dec 2019 17:30
Last modified: 15 Apr 2024 17:09

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Contributors

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

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