EVOLUTION OF THE PREVALENCE OF FELINE COR ONAVIRUS INFECTION IN 2 GROUPS OF CATS STUDIED UNDER 2 DIFFERENT MANAGEMENT-SYSTEMS

Two groups of cats (A and B) infected with a feline coronavirus underw ent: serological tests every two months. Ar the start of the study the re was a very high prevalence of animals with a positive serological r esponse in both groups (A : 91 p. cent and B : 70 p. cent). In group A , the cats were left in contact whatever their serological status. In group B, on the contrary, the animals with a negative test were separa ted from those with a positive test and in addition cats testing posit ive were kept in small groups isolated from one another. Fifteen month s after the start of the two management programmes, all the cats in gr oup B tested negative while in groupe A, the prevalence of positive se rological tests at the end of the study (29 months) was the same as th at at the start.