Comparative MetaAnalysis of Feline Leukemia Virus and Feline

Comparative Meta-Analysis of Feline Leukemia Virus and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Disease Rates Among Cats in Mediterranean, Tropical, and Temperate Forest Habitats Around the Globe Kristen Ludwick, BS Ethicon Endo Surgery Introduction Methods and Materials Discussion • Feline Leukemia Virus (Fe. LV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) are two prevalent transmittable diseases for domestic cats • These diseases cause immunosuppressive infections and are linked to lymphomas, leukopenia, and tumors 1 • There is a direct association of virus to cat age, lifestyle, and health status 2 • Fe. LV can be transmitted through close contact, grooming, fighting, shared litter boxes and food dishes, or from mother to offspring • FIV is transmitted through deep bite wounds and is not as easily transmitted as Fe. LV • There is currently no cure for either disease • Cats are exceedingly adaptable creatures, and live on all continents excluding Antartica 1 • This research focused on the prevalence of Fe. LV and FIV in three different habitats: • Temperate • Turkey, South Korea, the Midwest United States, Northern Italy, Germany, and the east coast of Australia • Tropical • Brazil, Thailand, St. Kitts, Peninsular Malaysia, and Merida, Mexico • Mediterranean • West coast of Australia, Israel, and Portugal Figure 1. Map of Countries Researched. • Sixteen articles were found online • Mediterranean (4), Tropical (4), and Temperate (6) • Searches were conducted using the keywords “feline infectious disease” or “feline virus” • The main criteria for acceptance of study was that the study researched Fe. LV and FIV rates of infection in specific locations • Biomes were assigned to each location/article using a map of the world’s biomes 3 • Data was extracted from the articles • sample size, percent positive for Fe. LV and FIV, and the number of co-infections • Binary logistic regression statistics were conducted on the incidence of Fe. LV and FIV in the various countries • The habitat with the highest percentage of Fe. LV or FIV was the tropical forest, at 12. 48% which supported the hypothesis • Theories as to why: • Using the gross national income (GNI) per capita for the current 2018 fiscal year, the majority of the countries in the tropical forest areas are upper middle-income countries, whereas the majority of countries in the temperate and Mediterranean forests are n the high-income category 4 • Upper middle-income economies have limited flexibility with finances to spend on animal control or spay and neuter programs for cats, compared to high income economies Results • Temperate • Highest percentage of Fe. LV: South Korea (22. 22%) • Highest percentage in any of the countries researched across all locations • Highest percentage of FIV: east coast of Australia (14. 64%) • Overall, Turkey had the highest percentage of Fe. LV or FIV infection (31%) • Larger colonies and locations with more feral cats are going to have higher rates of disease • Research showed that colonies of five or more cats had a statistically significant higher chance of Fe. LV or FIV infection within the colony • While accurate estimates of feral cat populations are difficult to assess, there is evidence that there are more feral cats in tropical climates than in climates with more seasonal changes 5 • Tropical • Highest percentage of Fe. LV: Thailand (16. 47%) • Highest percentage of FIV: Peninsular Malaysia (31. 25%) • Highest percentage in any of the countries researched across all locations • Overall, Peninsular Malaysia had the highest percentage of Fe. LV or FIV infection (43%) • Statistics on cat ownership and feral cat populations are lacking, due to lax rules and regulations in regards to companion animals and animal control • The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) states that countries in Europe and nations like the United States place far more emphasis on animal welfare and sterilization of cats than other countries around the world 6 • The tropical habitats researched in this study are on the WSPA list of locations where animal care resources are low • Mediterranean • Highest percentage of Fe. LV: Portugal (7. 07%) • Highest percentage of FIV: Israel (11. 76%) • Overall, the west coast of Australia had the highest percentage of Fe. LV or FIV infection (19%) • For outdoor versus indoor cats: • risk for Fe. LV was statistically higher in Brazil and Mexico for outdoor cats • risk for FIV was statistically higher in Turkey • risk for Fe. LV & FIV was statistically higher in the United States & Germany When FIV prevalence was compared across the biomes, there is a statistical significance (tropical versus temperate (p = <0. 001) and tropical versus Mediterranean (p = <0. 001) (Figure 2) Figure 2. Prevalence of FIV Across Biomes Mediterranean Temperate Figure 3. Prevalence of Fe. LV Across [CATEGORY [CATE NAME] GORY NAME] • Potential issues with this study: • Lack of data in tropical and Mediterranean forests • GNI could play into the availability of resources to research and conduct studies on cat infectious diseases in the different biomes of the world, strengthening the hypothesis • A total of 38, 171 cats were analyzed in the temperate forests • Only 2, 637 cats were tested in the tropical forests • Only 2, 709 cats were tested in the Mediterranean forests Action Component & Reflection • Surprises: • Lack of information in other biomes, since cats occupy every biome except tundra and aquatic habitats • The overwhelming majority of data is from temperate forest habitats Hypothesis: highest prevalence of Fe. LV and FIV rates will be in tropical forests, due to the fact that these locations are more frequently in areas with less governing bodies, capital, and financial resources. Contact Kristen A Ludwick Ethicon Endo Surgery ludwicka@miamioh. edu 513. 484. 3581 (c) Tropical [CATE GORY NAME] When Fe. LV prevalence was compared across the biomes, there is a statistical significance (tropical versus temperate (p = <0. 001) and tropical versus Mediterranean (p = <0. 001) (Figure 3) • Importance: • This information should encourage people to keep pets indoors or at least smaller outdoor colonies to reduce the risk of infectious disease • There is little research comparing biomes and habitats across the world for cats, and this paper helps strengthen this research • Action: • Presentation of this poster at the Cincinnati Veterinary Technician meeting References 1. Normand, C. M. , & Urbanek, R. E. (2017). Exurban feral cat seroprevalence of feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency viruses and adult survival. Southeastern Naturalist, 16(1), 1 - 18. 2. Oguzoglu, T. C. , Muz, D. , Timurkan, M. O. , Maral, N. , & Gurcan, I. S. (2013). Prevalences of feline coronavirus (FCo. V), feline leukaemia virus (Fe. LV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline paravirus (FPV) among domestic cats in Ankara, Turkey. Revue de Medecine Veterinaire, 164(11), 511 – 516. 3. Blij, H. D. , & Muller, P. O. (1995). Physical Geography of the Global Environment, Study Guide, 2 nd Edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley. 4. World Bank. (n. d. ). GNI per capita, Atlas method [Data file]. Retrieved from https: //data. worldbank. org/indicator/NY. GNP. PCAP. PP. CD 5. Green, C. E. (2012). Chapter 11: Feline leukemia virus infection. In K. Hartmann (Eds. ), Infectious diseases of the dog and cat (108 - 135). Elsevier Health Sciences: Missouri, USA. 6. de Boo, J. , & Knight, A. (2002). Concepts in animal welfare: A syllabus in animal welfare science and ethics for veterinary schools. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 32(4).