The risk factors of having infected feline leukemia virus or feline immunodeficiency virus for feline naturally occurring chronic kidney disease

Abstract

© 2020, Chiang Mai University - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. All rights reserved. The infection of the feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) caused kidney problems. The proposes of this present study were to determine the prevalence and risk factors of feline naturally occurring chronic kidney disease (CKD) and to estimate the possible association between CKD and infection with either FeLV or FIV or with both FeLV and FIV in cats. The medical record of 6,287 cats visiting the Small Animal Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Thailand, from January 2016 to October 2017 was presented. A case-control study was conducted to explore the risk factors for CKD by comparing 149 CKD cats and 44 clinically normal cats. Data was collected through questionnaires interviewing cats’ owners and medical records. Association of risk factors and CKD were analyzed using Pearson Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test as appropriate. A multivariate logistic regression model was constructed using backward elimination for CKD. The prevalence of feline naturally occurring CKD was 2.37%. The possible association between feline CKD and infection with either FeLV or FIV or with both FeLV and FIV was positive significant. The multivariate logistic regression indicated the free-roaming cat had the potential risk factor for CKD. Moreover, using a more than or an equal number of litter boxes to cats was a protective factor for CKD when compared to other factors. Further study is needed to investigate the cause of feline CKD on the mechanism of infection by FeLV and FIV.