Etiology

• Feline leukemia is caused by Feline Leukemia virus (FeLV) which is

a retrovirus that infects cats.
• FeLV is the second leading cause of death in cats, killing 85% of
persistently infected felines within three years of diagnosis.
• The virus commonly causes anemia or lymphoma, but because it
suppresses the immune system, it can also predispose cats to deadly
infections.
• FeLV is categorized into four subgroups, A, B, C and T. An infected cat
has a combination of FeLV-A and one or more of the other subgroups.
Etiology
FeLV is categorized into four subgroups.[2]
• FeLV-A is responsible for the immunosuppression characteristic of the
disease. All cats with FeLV have FeLV-A.[11]
• FeLV-B causes an additional increase in the incidence of tumors and
other abnormal tissue growths. About half of FeLV infected cats have
FeLV-B.[12]
• FeLV-C causes severe anemia. Approximately 1% of FeLV infected cats
have FeLV-C.[11][12]
• FeLV-T leads to lymphoid depletion and immunodeficiency
Diagnosis
• Testing for FeLV is possible with ELISA tests that look for viral antigens,
free particles found in the bloodstream.
• These ELISA tests use blood samples most often but can also use
saliva or eye secretions.
• The sample is added to a container or dish that contains the viral
antigen. If antibodies to the antigen are present in the sample, they
will bind together and an indicator on the test will change color.
These give a definitive diagnosis, but it cannot differentiate between
acute or persistent infections.
Diagnosis
• Diagnosis can also be made by reference lab testing, using an
immunofluorescence (IFA) test.
• The IFA test uses a blood sample and will detect the virus once it is in
the bone marrow by detecting the virus's presence in white blood
cells.
• IFA testing will not give positive results for transient, primary
infections - the infection must be persistent to get a positive result on
this test.