Seroprevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus and frequency of feline leukemia virus antigenemia in domestic cats of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2026v47n1p35Keywords:
Feline, Feline Retrovirus, Feline Immunodeficiency, Feline Leukemia, Lymphoma, Leukemia.Abstract
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) are retroviruses that affect domestic cats (Felis catus) worldwide and are associated with diseases such as lymphoma and leukemia and immunosuppression, potentially compromising both the quality of life and life expectancy of these animals. A total of 463 serum samples from domestic cats, collected between 2022 and 2024 from veterinary hospitals and clinics in the city of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, were subjected to lateral flow immunochromatographic testing for the detection of antibodies against FIV and FeLV antigens (p27). The seroprevalence of FIV and frequency of FeLV antigenemia in the evaluated population were 6.91% (32/463) and 21.38% (99/463), respectively. For FIV, the only statistically significant association was with sex, as males were 2.83 times more likely to be infected than females, and coinfection with FIV and FeLV was predominantly observed in males, who accounted for 78.95% (13/17) of the coinfected animals, suggesting a greater susceptibility of males to multiple infections. Mixed-breed cats had higher infection rates, highlighting the influence of environmental and management factors. FIV was more prevalent in older cats, whereas FeLV was predominant in younger and adult cats. The occurrence of FIV infection was lower than that reported in previous studies conducted in other regions of Brazil, whereas the prevalence of FeLV infection was consistent with the findings in the scientific literature, reinforcing the high rate of FeLV infection among domestic cats in Brazil. The accurate identification of infected animals enables epidemiological assessment to support the development of control and prevention strategies for viral dissemination.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Felipe Álvaro de Aguiar Chaves, Ana Regina Tavares Cairo de Azevêdo, Rafaela Vilela Vasconcelos, Bruna Pereira Gold, João Helder Frederico de Faria Naves, Rafael Romero Nicolino, Jenner Karlisson Pimenta dos Rei
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