Long-term Surveillance of the Feline Leukemia Virus in the Endangered Iberian Lynx (Lynx Pardinus) in Andalusia, Spain (2008-2021)

Overview

Journal Sci Rep

Specialty Science

Date 2024 Mar 5

PMID 38443503

Authors

Fernando Najera

Guillermo Lopez

Tere Del Rey-Wamba

Rimsha A Malik

German Garrote

Marcos Lopez-Parra

Leonardo Fernandez-Pena

Maribel Garcia-Tardio

Rafael Arenas-Rojas

Miguel A Simon

Irene Zorrilla

Isabel Fernandez

Eva M Alcaide

Carmen Ruiz

Luis Revuelta

Javier Salcedo

Regina Hofmann-Lehmann

Marina L Meli

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infection is considered one of the most serious disease threats for the endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) Over 14 years (2008-2021), we investigated FeLV infection using point-of-care antigen test and quantitative real-time TaqMan qPCR for provirus detection in blood and tissues in lynxes from Andalusia (Southern Spain). A total of 776 samples from 586 individuals were included in this study. The overall prevalence for FeLV antigen in blood/serum samples was 1.4% (5/360) (95% CI: 0.2-2.6), FeLV proviral DNA prevalence in blood samples was 6.2% (31/503) (95% CI: 4.1-8.6), and FeLV proviral DNA in tissues samples was 10.2% (34/333) (95% CI: 7-13.5). From a subset of 129 longitudinally sampled individuals, 9.3% (12/129) PCR-converted during the study period. Our results suggest that FeLV infection in the Andalusian population is enzootic, with circulation of the virus at low levels in almost all the sampling years. Moreover, since only one viremic individual succumbed to the infection, this study suggests that lynxes may therefore control the infection decreasing the possibility of developing a more aggressive outcome. Although our results indicate that the FeLV infection in the Iberian lynx from Andalusia tends to stay within the regressive stage, continuous FeLV surveillance is paramount to predict potential outbreaks and ensure the survival of this population.

Citing Articles

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