Clinicopathological and Epidemiological Findings in Pet Cats Naturally Infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) in Australia

Caroline Carlton; Jacqueline M. Norris; Evelyn Hall; Michael P. Ward; Stephanie Blank; Shelby Gilmore; Anjuli Dabydeen; Vivian Tran; Mark E. Westman

doi:10.3390/v14102177

Viruses (Sep 2022)

Clinicopathological and Epidemiological Findings in Pet Cats Naturally Infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) in Australia

Caroline Carlton,
Jacqueline M. Norris,
Evelyn Hall,
Michael P. Ward,
Stephanie Blank,
Shelby Gilmore,
Anjuli Dabydeen,
Vivian Tran,
Mark E. Westman

Affiliations

Caroline Carlton: Lort Smith Anim al Hospital, 24 Villiers Street, North Melbourne, VIC 3051, Australia
Jacqueline M. Norris: Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Evelyn Hall: Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Michael P. Ward: Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Stephanie Blank: Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Shelby Gilmore: Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Anjuli Dabydeen: Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Vivian Tran: Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Mark E. Westman: Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/v14102177
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 14, no. 10
p. 2177

Abstract

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Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection in experimentally infected domestic cats produces characteristic clinical manifestations including hematological changes, neurological disease, neoplasia (most notably lymphoma) and lymphopenia-mediated immunodeficiency predisposing cats to a range of secondary infections. Conflicting reports exist, however, with regard to disease associations and survival time in naturally FIV-infected cats. The purpose of this retrospective case–control study was to investigate the effect of natural FIV infection on hematological, blood biochemical and urinalysis parameters and survival time in three cohorts of pet cats in Australia. Cohorts 1 and 2 were recruited from a large veterinary hospital in Melbourne, Victoria (n = 525 and 282), while a third cohort consisted of cats recruited from around Australia as part of a FIV field vaccine efficacy trial (n = 425). FIV-infected cats in cohorts 1, 2 and 3 were found to have 15/37 (41%), 13/39 (33%) and 2/13 (15%) clinicopathological parameters significantly different to FIV-uninfected cats, respectively. Two changes in FIV-infected cats in cohort 1, hypochromia (low hemoglobin) and hyperglobulinemia, were outside the supplied reference intervals and should serve as diagnostic triggers for FIV testing. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis of cats in cohorts 1 and 2 combined did not find any difference between FIV-infected and FIV-uninfected cats, however a confounding factor was a large euthanasia rate within the first 12 months in both groups. Three significant (p p < 0.001). Until longitudinal field studies are performed in Australia to further investigate the long-term effects of natural FIV infection, Australian veterinarians should consider FIV to be an important infection of pet cats, and recommend measures to prevent FIV infection.

Published in Viruses

ISSN: 1999-4915 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Microbiology
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/viruses

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