The First Feline Immunodeficiency Virus in Siberian Tigers (Panthera Tigris Altaica) from China

Abstract

Research on feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) from tigers is scant throughout the world. In this study, 320 captive Siberian tigers were tested for FIV by nested PCR, and three Siberian tigers were FIV-positive. This is the first time FIV has been detected in Siberian tigers in China. The phylogenetic analysis of three FIV genes, gag-p26, pol-RT, and pol-RNAse, revealed that the Siberian tiger FIV had the minimum genetic divergence, the closest genetic relationship and the highest amino acid similarity with subtype A FIV strains from domestic cats, suggesting that the Siberian tiger FIV may have been transmitted by stray cats.