Frequência de diagnóstico de FIV (Imunodeficiência felina) e FELV (Leucemia Viral Felina) em gatos atendidos no hospital veterinário da UEMA no período de 2019 a 2021

Abstract

Feline viral immunodeficiency and feline viral leukemia represent important infectious diseases caused by retroviruses and are among the main diseases that affect cats. The present study aimed to determine the frequency of infection by the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and by the feline leukemia virus (FeLV) in cats that were tested at the University Veterinary Hospital of UEMA, in São Luís, Maranhão, through the rapid test. ALERE™ FIV Ac/FeLV Ag TEST KIT. The patients tested were aged between 4 months and 18 years of age and were of both sexes. In total, during the years 2019, 2020 and 2021, 709 cats were tested and the frequency of positivity for FIV was 18.76% (133/709) and for FeLV of 2.96% (21/709) as an average in these 3 years. The frequency obtained for FIV is one of the highest frequencies reported in the current literature. There was a predominance of FIV infection in males, which were 75.19% (100/133), while females only 24.81% (33/133). In FeLV, the gender was better distributed, with 57.14% (12/21) of males and 42.86% (9/21) of females. Regarding age, the age with the highest frequency of diagnosis for both FIV and FeLV was 1 to 3 years. With these data, it is concluded that both the FIV and FeLV viruses are endemic in the city of São Luís.