Feline Foamy Virus is Highly Prevalent in Free-Ranging Puma concolor from Colorado, Florida and Southern California.

Sarah R Kechejian,Roy Mcbride,Ken Logan,Sue Vandewoude,Nick Dannemiller,Carmen Ledesma-Feliciano,Kevin Crooks,Scott Carver,Winston T Vickers,Melody Roelke Parker,Jennifer Malmberg,Mark Cunningham,Seth P D Riley,Mat Alldredge,Simona Kraberger,Martin Löchelt

doi:10.3390/v11040359

Abstract

Feline foamy virus (FFV) is a retrovirus that has been detected in multiple feline species, including domestic cats (Felis catus) and pumas (Puma concolor). FFV results in persistent infection but is generally thought to be apathogenic. Sero-prevalence in domestic cat populations has been documented in several countries, but the extent of viral infections in nondomestic felids has not been reported. In this study, we screened sera from 348 individual pumas from Colorado, Southern California and Florida for FFV exposure by assessing sero-reactivity using an FFV anti-Gag ELISA. We documented a sero-prevalence of 78.6% across all sampled subpopulations, representing 69.1% in Southern California, 77.3% in Colorado, and 83.5% in Florida. Age was a significant risk factor for FFV infection when analyzing the combined populations. This high prevalence in geographically distinct populations reveals widespread exposure of puma to FFV and suggests efficient shedding and transmission in wild populations.

Highlights

Feline foamy virus (FFV) is a member of the oldest retrovirus family, Spumaretrovirinae [1].The virus is reportedly contact-dependent and causes life-long infections in felines worldwide [2].FFV was originally identified as a tissue culture contaminant from primary feline cell cultures [3] and named for its characteristic cytopathic effects
FFV sero-prevalence is reported in Figure 1 and was high in all three states with an overall
FFV sero-prevalence is reported in Figure and was high in allassociation three statesof with ansero-prevalence overall serosero-prevalence of 78.6%

Summary

Introduction

Feline foamy virus (FFV) is a member of the oldest retrovirus family, Spumaretrovirinae [1].The virus is reportedly contact-dependent and causes life-long infections in felines worldwide [2].FFV was originally identified as a tissue culture contaminant from primary feline cell cultures [3] and named for its characteristic cytopathic effects. Feline foamy virus (FFV) is a member of the oldest retrovirus family, Spumaretrovirinae [1]. The virus is reportedly contact-dependent and causes life-long infections in felines worldwide [2]. In comparison to other feline retroviruses, the relevance of FFV infection to felid behavior and health is not yet well-understood despite its high prevalence in populations worldwide [4]. Existing epidemiological studies on FFV have almost exclusively evaluated domestic cat (Felis catus) populations [5,6], with only a handful evaluating prevalence in wild feline species [7,8,9,10]. Published literature has found FFV to be putatively apathogenic in domestic cats [11] but no literature has explored the virus’ relationship to pathology in wild felids

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Conclusion