(FeLV), despite the widespread use
of vaccines, remains one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality
in cats. It causes a variety of malignancies, however, persistent infection
can cause severe immunosuppression and anemia. (FeLV) is a retrovirus in the
family Oncovirinae. There are 3 main subgroups of clinical importance.
Subgroup A viruses are found in all naturally infected cats. Within the infected
cat, (FeLV-A) is sometime altered to produce (FeLV-B&C) viruses. Two types
of tests are available for clinical use: Immunofluorescence assay (IFA) tests
for presence of (FeLV) structural antigen in the cytoplasm of blood cells or other
tissue cells. The more convenient (ELISA) can be performed in the clinic and
tests for the presence of soluble (FeLV p27) antigen in serum or plasma.
