Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus associated with fatal disease in progressively infected cats. While testing/removal and vaccination led to a decreased prevalence of FeLV, recently, this decrease has reportedly stagnated in some countries. This study aimed to prospectively determine the prevalence of FeLV viraemia in cats taken to veterinary facilities in 32 European countries. FeLV viral RNA was semiquantitatively detected in saliva, using RT-qPCR as a measure of viraemia. Risk and protective factors were assessed using an online questionnaire to report geographic, demographic, husbandry, FeLV vaccination, and clinical data. The overall prevalence of FeLV viraemia in cats visiting a veterinary facility, of which 10.4% were shelter and rescue cats, was 2.3% (141/6005; 95% CI: 2.0%–2.8%) with the highest prevalences in Portugal, Hungary, and Italy/Malta (5.7%–8.8%). Using multivariate analysis, seven risk factors (Southern Europe, male intact, 1–6 years of age, indoor and outdoor or outdoor-only living, living in a group of ≥5 cats, illness), and three protective factors (Northern Europe, Western Europe, pedigree cats) were identified. Using classification and regression tree (CART) analysis, the origin of cats in Europe, pedigree, and access to outdoors were important predictors of FeLV status. FeLV-infected sick cats shed more viral RNA than FeLV-infected healthy cats, and they suffered more frequently from anaemia, anorexia, and gingivitis/stomatitis than uninfected sick cats. Most cats had never been FeLV-vaccinated; vaccination rates were indirectly associated with the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. In conclusion, we identified countries where FeLV was undetectable, demonstrating that the infection can be eradicated and highlighting those regions where awareness and prevention should be increased.

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Background: Co-infections are common in the wild. Thus, studies focused on parasite interactions are essential. We aimed to (i) follow the development of two genetic lineages of Plasmodium relictum—pSGS1 and pGRW11—during single infections and co-infections and (ii) evaluate their impact on bird host health. Materials: Twenty-four domestic canaries were allocated to four groups: two groups were infected with parasites of a single genetic lineage, one group was infected with parasites of both genetic lineages, and one group was considered as the control group. Parasitemia, the number of polychromatophils, changes in body weight, and hemoglobin levels were all quantified up to 32 days post-infection. Results: Three birds infected with pSGS1 died within 20 days post-infection. The prepatent period and the peak of parasitemia did not differ significantly between groups. Differences in hemoglobin levels between the control and experimental groups were observed and there was an abnormal increase in the number of polychromatophils in infected birds. In all infected groups, correlations were detected between the number of polychromatophils and parasitemia (positive), and between the number of polychromatophils and hemoglobin levels (negative). Conclusion: This study shows that co-infection with two phylogenetically closely related P. relictum parasites does not alter overall parasitemia and does not cause higher virulence to the host.

Background: Today, animals, like humans, suffer from spinal illnesses, which are aggravated in old age. Much emphasis is placed on diagnosis and treatment, but little focus is given to the spine's mechanical properties. Degenerative spine diseases are a major problem throughout the world. According to the World Health Organization, osteoporosis is a world-class public problem that reduces bone mass, resulting in bone fracturing and increased risk of bone fracturing. Therefore, the mechanical investigation of vertebrae can provide more information about the development of osteoporosis. Case Description: For our case report, we used spayed mongrel lumbar vertebrae samples obtained from a canine which was about 8 years old and weighed 28 kg. The dog was diagnosed with a mammary tumour, and the dog’s owners decided to euthanise the dog. All consent forms were filled. Conclusions: Mechanical tests were performed on three vertebrae, and a noticeable difference was observed in the first cycle of the first vertebra (L1). Second-order polynomials for displacement and seventh-order polynomials for pressure were proposed for describing the stress–strain relation of the vertebrae under the cyclical loads. Our research protocol has been broken down into several parts. After measuring the area of the loaded surface, the largest area was in the L2 vertebra (176 mm ± 16; 177 mm ± 3 mm), and the smallest was in the L7 vertebra (156 mm ± 4 mm; 151 mm ± 33 mm). The smallest distance was recorded between the first (L1) and seventh (L7) lumbar vertebrae (L1) (15.17 mm ± 0.93 mm), and the largest distance was recorded between the L3 and L4 vertebrae of the lumbar (19.8 mm ± 3.7 mm).