Les hommes ont oublié cette vérité. Mais tu ne dois pas l'oublier, dit le renard. Tu deviens responsable pour toujours de ce que tu as apprivoisé.
Le Petit Prince, chap. 21

Tuesday 25 March 2014

Impact of two feline retroviruses on natural populations of domestic cat

Courchamp, F., D. Pontier, E. Fromont & M. Artois. 1995. Impact of two feline retroviruses on natural populations of domestic cat. Mammalia59 (4): 589-598.

We compared the pattern of spread and the impact of two retroviruses, feline immunodeficiency
virus (FIV), and feline leukemia (FeLV) within natural populations of domestic. A four years epidemiological study shows that FIV is present in three studied rural cat populations, whereas FeLV is absent in one out of the three, with no evolution in time for either virus. Factros influencing FIV transmission are directly linked to agressive behaviour , while factors influencing FeLV transmission are rather characteristic of amicable interactions. Results of a deterministic model show that both infections are maintained in the population at a stable equilibrium between susceptible and infected animals, slightly reduce the number of individuals at equilibrium, and have long transmission rates. Results of a long term dynamical study indicate that the probability of dying from tese viruses is low in natural conditions, and that, despite their presence, the size and structure of the population remains stable.
In conclusion, despite FIV and FeLV have different spread patterns (FIV infects and kills at-risk individuals, while FeLV infects more indiscriminately), the impact of both retroviruses on cat populations seems to be low. 

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