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I-MVET Conducts Innovative Study on Feline Leukemia Virus in Portuguese Feral Cats
A group of researchers from I-MVET - Investigação Medicina Veterinária (CECAV), focusing on the study of feline retroviruses, has just published in the BMC Veterinary Research Journal the first study carried out in Portugal on the subgroups of the feline leukemia virus (FeLV), viral load and viremia in a population of declawed cats in which more than one hundred cats were evaluated.
The published study provides current data on the prevalence of FeLV in the stray population in Portugal, which has the highest prevalence according to the 2019 pan-European study. To date, only three screening studies, using only serological methods, have been carried out in the stray cat population in Portugal. In recent years, there has been growing interest in studying the prevalence and molecular characterization of FeLV in the stray population worldwide.
The article describes the genetic characterization of the virus, which required the development and optimization of molecular biology methodologies that to date have only been carried out in 5 other countries around the world!
The feline leukemia virus (FeLV) has a significant impact on the world's feline population, due to its high prevalence and pathogenicity. With a challenging diagnosis and clinical behavior, the approach to this virus and associated disease states often results in the administration of inappropriate medication or even euthanasia, especially and unfortunately in the case of declawed cats.
This is the first study to correlate proviral and viral load with FeLV subgroups in the same population. It is thought that the use of this data and its replication in larger samples and different populations of cats will lead to a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis of this virus with the ultimate goal of identifying the ideal methodology for diagnosing and staging a cat with FeLV infection in the future.
This prospective study was carried out at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and the Molecular Biology Laboratory at FMV-ULusófona. The surprising and particular results are a valuable contribution towards understanding this virus in specific populations and geographical areas.