Plasma Electrophoretogram in Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and/or Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV) Infections

Miró, G.; Doménech, A.; Escolar, E.; Collado, V. M.; Tejerizo, G.; De Las Heras, A.; Gómez‐Lucía, E.

The electrophoretogram of 89 cats, including those infected by feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV+), feline leukaemia virus (FeLV+) and non‐infected, showed statistically significant differences in several of the fractions. FIV+ cats had very high protein values (mean, 8.10 g/dl), mostly because of hypergammaglobulinemia (mean, 2.81 g/dl) as compared with non‐infected animals and FeLV+. In addition, in these FIV+ animals, the albumin/globulins ratio (A/G) was very low (mean, 0.72). Statistically significant differences in A/G and α2‐globulin fraction were observed in FeLV+ group (A/G mean, 0.88 ± 0.08; α2‐globulin, mean, 0.84 ± 0.07 g/dl) when compared with non‐infected group (A/G mean, 1.06 ± 0.08; α2‐globulin mean, 0.68 ± 0.04 g/dl). The α1‐globulin fraction was higher in double infected animals (FIV and FeLV positive, F‐F) (3.55 g/dl), than in FeLV+ or FIV+ cats (3.10 and 3.07 g/dl respectively), but no statistical conclusions may be drawn from this fact because of the low number of F‐F animals. This technique may help to assess the initial clinical status of retrovirus‐infected cats, and the clinical course of these chronic diseases, specifically during and after suitable therapy.