FELINE IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC REVIEW

From a synthesis of 59 serosurveys, we estimate and discuss influence of several parameters on feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection . The overall infection rate estimated from 85,529 tested cats is high , 11.04 %, besides the virus seems to be rather endemic. Parameters in fluencing FIV infection are sex, age and roaming habits. Neutering, br eed and group size effects seem to be rather indirect. Prevalence diff erences between countries and potential cofactors are also discussed. Results show that FIV transmission is influenced by behavior. We highl ight the important bias of this kind of surveys and propose to sample rather natural populations of cats, tasking into account their dynamic al and ecological parameters. This synthesis highlights arguments in a ccordance with the hypothesis that FIV is not a recent virus.