PREVALENCE OF FELINE LEUKEMIA-VIRUS AND ANTIBODIES TO FELINE IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS IN CATS IN NORWAY

Serum samples from 224 Norwegian cats were analyzed for the presence o f feline leukemia virus (FeLV) p27 common core antigen, and for antibo dies to feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Ninety specimens originat ed from the serum bank at the central referral clinic at the Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine, which had been collected during the y ears 1983-1989; 67 sera were submitted from veterinarian practitioners ; while 67 sera originated from cats presented for euthanasia. The cat s were classified into one "healthy" and one "sick" group. Only 2.2% o f sick cats and 1.2% of healthy cats showed FeLV antigenemia, a findin g which is lower than which has been reported from many other countrie s. The prevalence of FIV antibodies was 10.1% in sick cats and 5.9% in healthy cats. Antibodies to FIV was most prevalent in male cats (14.7 %) than in female cats (2.1%), and more prevalent among domestic cats (12.0%) compared to pedigree cats (2.4%). Antibodies to FIV in the cat s demonstrated increasing prevalence with increasing age. It may be co ncluded that FeLV causes minor problems in Norwegian cats, while FIV i s present in a similar prevalence to what is reported from other count ries.