Evaluation of an in-house dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect antibodies against feline panleukopenia virus

Abstract

Measuring antibody titres to determine a cat's immunity to core diseases instead of just administering annual vaccinations has not been established in Germany so far. An in-house test kit for the detection of antibodies against feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), feline herpesvirus-1 and feline calicivirus-- the ImmunoComb Feline VacciCheck--is now available in several European countries. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of the ImmunoComb Feline VacciCheck to determine antibodies by comparing it to a gold standard. The test is aimed for use in practice to assist decision-making when performing an individual health assessment to see whether a cat is potentially unprotected against FPV and requires FPV vaccination. Sera from 347 cats were included in the study. For antibody detection, haemagglutination inhibition (HI) was performed as gold standard. Sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values of the ImmunoComb Feline VacciCheck were determined for three different HI titre cut-off points (1:20, 1:40, 1:80). In comparison to the HI, the ImmunoComb Feline VacciCheck showed a sensitivity of 79%, 83% and 87%, and a specificity of 89%, 86% and 81%, respectively. Specificity of the ImmunoComb Feline VacciCheck, which was considered the most important parameter, was acceptable in comparison to HI. Especially when considering an antibody titre of 1:20 sufficient for protection (eg, in an adult animal), the ImmunoComb Feline VacciCheck can be recommended for use in veterinary practice.

WSAVA Guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats

“…Since the publication of the 2010 guidelines, one commercial in-practice rapid test for determination of serum antibody to FPV, FCV and FHV-1 has become available. This test has now been validated and applied in a series of published investigations , Mende et al 2014. This test kit may be used for the determination of the presence of protective antibody against FPV as there is excellent correlation between the presence of such antibody and resistance to infection (Lappin et al 2002) [EB1].…”

“…This test kit may be used for the determination of the presence of protective antibody against FPV as there is excellent correlation between the presence of such antibody and resistance to infection (Lappin et al 2002) [EB1]. The FPV test kit is reported to have 89% specificity and 79% sensitivity (Mende et al 2014) The correlation between circulating serum antibody and protection against FCV and FHV-1 infection is less robust than the presence of adequate local mucosal immunity and cell-mediated immunity, respectively. For that reason, a negative test result for FCV or FHV-1 antibody would not necessarily indicate lack of protection in a particular cat (Lappin et al 2002) [EB1].…”

Recommendations on vaccination for Latin American small animal practitioners: a report of the WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group

“…Yes, one manufacturer makes an in-house test kit to measure FPV, FHV1 and FCV antibodies in the serum of cats (Mende et al 2014), but at the time of writing this test is not available in LATAM [EB1]. Note that only antibody against FPV is predictive of protection; antibody against the upper respiratory tract viruses does not correlate with protection.…”

Feline Panleukopenie – die wichtige Rolle von Antikörpern

“…Die Sensitivität (Prozentsatz falsch negativer Testergebnisse) des Tests ist hierbei weniger relevant. Katzen, die eigentlich Antikörper aufweisen, jedoch ein negatives Schnelltestergebnis zeigen, würden eine weitere, wenn auch unnötige, Impfung erhalten (38).…”

“…Die wichtigste Nebenwirkung von Impfungen bei Katzen ist das "feline injectionsite sarcoma" (FISS) (10,24). Eine Alternative zu regelmäßigen Wiederholungsimpfungen stellen Antikörpertitermessungen dar, mit deren Hilfe die Notwendigkeit einer Nachimpfung beurteilt werden kann (38). Nur Katzen, die keine Antikörper gegen FPV aufweisen, sollten gegen Panleukopenie geimpft werden.…”