Study of feline immunodeficiency virus prevalence and expert opinions on standards of care

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify knowledge gaps in the global prevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and to obtain professional opinions and experiences regarding FIV in selected countries. We conducted a literature review of abstracts that reported the prevalence of FIV and interviewed experts in feline medicine and retroviruses from different countries to determine regional perspectives.

Methods: A total of 90 articles reporting FIV prevalence as a primary unbiased population-level analysis between 1980 and 2017 were indexed. FIV prevalence, demographics, year and location were analyzed. Statistics were evaluated and compared. In total, 10 experts were interviewed. Results were analyzed for congruence with the findings of the literature review.

Results: FIV prevalence was typically in the range of 5-8%, with a global prevalence of 4.7%, and remained largely constant over the reporting period (1980-2017). Over 90% of articles reported greater prevalence in older male cats. More studies were conducted in North America and Europe and reported the lowest prevalence. Expert-estimated prevalence approximated literature review prevalence. Attitudes and recommendations for management were consistent among experts. The limitations of the present review include varying inclusion criteria of cats tested in different studies, variation in testing modalities and the inability to conduct summary statistics across dissimilar cohorts.

Conclusions and relevance: The global prevalence of FIV has not changed since its discovery 40 years ago. Prevalence is higher in older male cats and is lower in North America and Europe than other continents. Experts agree that FIV is not typically a disease of high concern and is often associated with infections of the oral cavity. Vaccination is not typically recommended and has been discontinued in North America. The evaluation of risk factors for FIV progression is useful in managing infections. Recommendations for future research include analyses to determine copathogen and environmental factors that impact progression, assessment of life span impacts and investigations of treatment efficacy and side effects.

Keywords: FIV; Feline immunodeficiency virus; management; prevalence; retroviruses; review.

Figure 1

Prevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) by country. This was a retrospective study based on the review of 90 articles reporting FIV prevalence. ^{–, –, –, –} In countries where more than one study was reported, we calculated the weighted arithmetic mean to account for differences in population size between groups, testing methods and demographics

Figure 2

A prevalence map showing the weighted arithmetic mean of the reported feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) rates in any country where a study was conducted. ^{–, –, –, –} Countries with the lowest rates of FIV are shown in blue, countries with moderate rates of FIV are shown in green and those with the highest rates of FIV are shown in yellow

Figure 3

Worldwide feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) prevalence, cats sampled and number of studies. ^{–, –, –, –} Countries with the lowest rates of FIV are shown in blue, countries with moderate rates of FIV are shown in green and those with the highest rates of FIV are shown in yellow

Figure 4

Global prevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) associated with year of study. ^{–, –, –, –} The linear regression line shows an R value of 0.0015 and a slope of 0.0003, illustrating no relationship between the two variables

Figure 5

Prevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) in Australia over the reported period.^,,,,,– The linear regression line shows an R value of 0.197 and a slope of −0.0033, illustrating a negative relationship between FIV and time