Variability in assays used for detection of lentiviral infection in bobcats (Lynx rufus), pumas (Puma concolor), and ocelots (Leopardus pardalis)

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Although lentiviruses similar to feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are known to infect numerous felid species, the relative utility of assays used for detecting lentiviral infection has not been compared for many of these hosts. We tested bobcats (Lynx rufus), pumas (Felis concolor), and ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) for exposure to lentivirus using five different assays: puma lentivirus (PLV), African lion lentivirus (LLV), and domestic cat FIV-based immunoblots, a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, and nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Puma lentivirus immunoblots identified more seropositive individuals than the other antibody-detection assays. The commercial ELISA provided a fair ability to recognize seropositive samples when compared with PLV immunoblot for screening bobcats and ocelots, but not pumas. Polymerase chain reaction identified fewer positive samples than PLV immunoblot for all three species. Immunoblot results were equivalent whether the sample tested was serum, plasma, or whole blood. The results from this study and previous investigations suggest that the PLV immunoblot has the greatest ability to detect reactive samples when screening wild felids of North America and is unlikely to produce false positive results. However, the commercial ELISA kit may provide an adequate alternative for screening of some species and is more easily adapted to field conditions.

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) and Leishmania sp. in domestic cats in the Midwest of Brazil

“…For FIV infection, ELISA may provide sufficient sensibility for screening, while DNA PCR for FIV may have low sensitivity for detecting lentiviral strains because of low proviral load in blood cells (Franklin et al 2007), which explains five cats are negative in this test.…”

Frequent Transmission of Immunodeficiency Viruses among Bobcats and Pumas

“…All 110 individuals were screened for antibodies reactive to puma lentivirus antigen by immunoblotting, since we have found this to be the best available method for screening nondomestic cat sera for anti-FIV antibodies when species-specific tests are not available (15). Antigens were prepared from viral cultures of puma lentivirus (PLV-1695).…”

“…Negative cat sera were used as a negative control at a 1:25 dilution. Western blotting was performed as previously described (15). Reaction strength was assessed visually and given one of four scores depending on the affinity of the antibody for the p24 gag protein: 0, negative; 1, equivocal; 2, positive; 3, very strongly positive.…”

Vif of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus from Domestic Cats Protects against APOBEC3 Restriction Factors from Many Felids

“…The phylogenetic data indicate that most of these FIV types isolated from different felids are monophyletic (summarized in references 39 and 48). However, recent FIV cross-species transmissions have been observed in pumas infected by the FIVs of domestic cats and bobcats, in leopards and tigers infected with the FIVs of lions, and in free-ranging leopard cats infected with FIV strains of domestic cats, indicating that repeated and/or multiple historic FIV cross-species felid-to-felid transmission events can occur in the wild or in captivity (5,13,35,39,48,51). With the exception of repeated FIV transmissions from bobcats to pumas, these reports mostly describe singular events supporting that FIV is not frequently cross-species transmitted.…”