Biezus Giovana, Grima de Cristo Thierry, Flores Koehler Claudia Maria, de Quadros Kaveski Flavia Yasmin, Sarria Viana Miranda Thaís, Ferian Paulo Eduardo, Casagrande Renata Assis
Departament of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Av. Luís de Camões, Lages, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
PLoS One. 2025 Jul 1;20(7):e0322691. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0322691. eCollection 2025.
This study aimed to characterize the clinical presentations and effects of progressive and regressive outcomes of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infection on the life expectancy of cats. In total, 176 cats were selected: 116 with progressive infection (FeLV+P), 30 with regressive infection (FeLV+ R), and 30 FeLV-negative cats (Control). The cats underwent testing using ELISA to detect the FeLV p27 antigen and nested polymerase chain reaction to identify U3-LTR region and gag proviral DNA. The cats were clinically monitored until their death or for a period ranging 12-54 months. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression. The median survival time following FeLV diagnosis was 30 days for the FeLV+P group. The median survival time was not reached for the other groups. The cats' health status (sick) at the time of inclusion in the study and the progression status of the FeLV infection led to a 4-5-fold increase in the Hazard Ratio (HR) for death in the general population. The primary causes of death among cats in the FeLV+P group were lymphoma, leukemia, anemia, and other diseases. In the FeLV+R group, the causes of death included leukemia, anemia, and other diseases. Progressive FeLV infection reduced life expectancy, whereas regressive FeLV infection had no direct impact on the survival curve.
本研究旨在描述猫白血病病毒（FeLV）感染的进行性和退行性结局的临床表现及其对猫寿命的影响。总共选择了176只猫：116只患有进行性感染（FeLV+P），30只患有退行性感染（FeLV+R），以及30只FeLV阴性猫（对照组）。对这些猫进行了检测，使用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）检测FeLV p27抗原，并使用巢式聚合酶链反应鉴定U3-LTR区域和gag前病毒DNA。对这些猫进行临床监测直至死亡或长达12 - 54个月的一段时间。使用Kaplan-Meier分析和Cox回归进行生存分析。FeLV+P组在FeLV诊断后的中位生存时间为30天。其他组未达到中位生存时间。纳入研究时猫的健康状况（患病）以及FeLV感染的进展状态导致总体人群中死亡风险比（HR）增加4 - 5倍。FeLV+P组猫的主要死亡原因是淋巴瘤、白血病、贫血和其他疾病。在FeLV+R组中，死亡原因包括白血病、贫血和其他疾病。进行性FeLV感染缩短了预期寿命，而退行性FeLV感染对生存曲线没有直接影响。
