Diseases of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777) in Great Britain.

McOrist, S

The author describes an examination conducted in collaboration with the Nature Conservancy Council of Great Britain into the status with regard to disease, conservation and genetics of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris). Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) infection was detected by positive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in blood from 2 of 23 wildcats and was tested and confirmed by FeLV isolation in one of the two cats. This is the first time the virus has been clearly demonstrated in a free-living felid, other than the domestic cat. Toxoplasmosis was detected in all cats tested, but neither feline coronavirus nor feline immunodeficiency virus was detected in any sample. The genetic analysis indicated that only 8 of 42 wildcats tested were genetically distinct. These were mainly located in the western highlands of Scotland where "relict" populations may have survived. Interbreeding with domestic cats and persecution by trapping and hunting represent major threats to the survival of the European wildcat.