A survey of feline leukaemia virus antigenaemia among cats in eastern Austria: a retrospective analysis of serum samples routinely tested between 1996 and 2011

Firth, Clair L; Möstl, Karin

Data on the prevalence of FeLV in Austria are extremely limited. To date, only one other study has been carried out: Kölbl reported an overall FeLV prevalence of 9.7% among cats from eastern regions of Austria tested at the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety between 1985 and 1995. 13 Studies on neighbouring countries in the 1990s reported similar FeLV prevalences to the Austrian example: Knotek et al determined a prevalence of 13.2% among owned cats in the Czech Republic, 14 and Fuchs et al reported a prevalence of 13.4% in Germany. 4 Prior to the availability of a FeLV vaccine and of a rapid in-clinic test, cats tested in the mid-1980s were likely to be clinically symptomatic, leading to much higher prevalence levels than those reported today. Regular testing of seemingly healthy individuals was not common until the introduction of the FeLV vaccine. FeLV prevalence in the preselected sick cat population in the 1980s was extremely high (33. 3-56.3% in 1985-1986 13 ) , and the introduction of the FeLV vaccination onto the Austrian market in 1988 was expected to have a substantial impact on reports of disease prevalence. It is, however, important to bear in mind that the 1985-1995 study did not necessarily represent the general domestic cat population and, in this respect, the current study provides a more realistic picture of FeLV antigenaemia in the region of eastern Austria.