Veterinary Archives, Vol. 91 No. 1, 2021.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.24099/vet.arhiv.0857
A retroviral survey of endangered Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) from Croatia
Tomislav Gomerčić
; Department of Veterinary Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Matko Perharić
; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Josip Kusak
; Department of Veterinary Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Vedran Slijepčević
; Department of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation, Karlovac University of Applied Sciences, Karlovac, Croatia
Vilim Starešina
; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Vladimir Stevanović
; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Vesna Mojčec Perko
; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Ira Topličanec
; Department of Veterinary Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Magda Sindičić
; Department for Game Biology, Pathology and Breeding, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) may cause persistent, lifelong and lethal infections in domestic and wild felids worldwide. FIV has been confirmed in most Felidae species, while FeLV infection is rare among non-domestic cats. The view that retroviruses are pathogenic in domestic cats but not in other free-ranging felid species was disproved by recent findings of retroviral pathology in several wild felids. The epidemiology of retroviral infections in felids in Croatia was only investigated in urban domestic cats, while there are no data for wild cat species. As the reintroduced Dinaric lynx (Lynx lynx) population suffers from low genetic diversity, which reduces their ability to adapt to new viral outbreaks, the health status of this lynx population is of particular concern. Two different commercial immunochromatographic assays were used for qualitative detection of FIV antibodies and FeLV antigens, while PCR was used for amplification of proviral gag and env genes in Eurasian lynx blood samples. All the 17 Eurasian lynx samples collected between 2001 and 2019 tested negative in both immunochromatographic and molecular tests. Even though our sample size was rather small, considering the fact that the population size of lynx in Croatia is estimated at 40 - 60 animals, our results can be considered representative for the population’s health status. Also, data about retroviral prevalence in Eurasian lynxes are scarce, so any new findings are very valuable.
Keywords
feline immunodeficiency virus; FIV; feline leukemia virus; FeLV; lynx
Hrčak ID:
255225
URI
Publication date:
6.4.2021.
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