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Virginia Tech

Detection of Feline Leukemia Virus in Feline Bone Marrow Using Polymerase Chain Reaction

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Latent feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infections, in which proviral DNA is integrated into host DNA, but not actively transcribed, are suspected to be associated with many diseases. Bone marrow is the suspected site of the majority of latent infections. The purpose of this study was to determine if polymerase chain reaction (PCR) could detect FeLV proviral DNA in bone marrow and provide a method of detecting latent infections. Blood and bone marrow samples from fifty cats and bone marrow from one fetus were collected; sixteen had FeLV-associated diseases. Serum ELISA, blood and bone marrow immunofluorescent antibody test (IFA), and blood and bone marrow PCR were performed on each cat, and IFA and PCR on bone marrow of the fetus. Forty-one cats were FeLV negative. Five cats and one fetus were persistently infected with FeLV. Four cats were discordant; two ELISA positive with other tests negative, one bone marrow IFA negative with other tests positive, and one bone marrow IFA positive with other tests negative. No cats were positive on bone marrow PCR only. These results indicate that PCR can detect FeLV in bone marrow, but no cats in this study harbored FeLV only in the bone marrow. Not all cats with FeLV-associated diseases are persistently or latently infected with FeLV.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Veterinary Medical Sciences
Department dc:contributor.department
Veterinary Medical Sciences
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2000

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Stimson, Erin Leigh
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Troy, Gregory C.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Toth, Thomas E.
  • Forrester, S. Dru

Subjects

dc:subject × 4

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-04052000-07290015
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/31627

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Stimson, Erin Leigh. Detection of Feline Leukemia Virus in Feline Bone Marrow Using Polymerase Chain Reaction. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/31627