Preventing FeLV and FIV transmissions

PC: Courtesy of Janet Wolf

Veterinarians should acquaint themselves with guidelines, like these, for managing cats infected with retroviruses since these cats can have a long-life expectancy, particularly those with FIV. 

• Retroviruses are not stable outside their host animals and become inactive on dry surfaces very quickly; therefore, they are considered to have minimal environmental persistence.
• Both FeLV and FIV are rapidly inactivated by detergents and common hospital disinfectants, and there is minimal risk of transmission among cats through indirect exposure when simple precautions and routine cleaning procedures are followed.
• Hospitalized cats should not have direct contact with each other. Isolating retrovirus-infected cats in an infectious disease ward is unnecessary; they can be housed in general hospital wards.
• Additionally, since retrovirus-infected cats are potentially immunosuppressed, they should not be placed in isolation wards with animals carrying contagious diseases like upper respiratory virus infection or panleukopenia, nor with dogs infected with feline-shared pathogens such as canine parvovirus and Bordetella bronchiseptica.
• Although casual transmission of the viruses via the environment is unlikely, both viruses are transmitted efficiently through contaminated body fluids, particularly blood. It is crucial to establish and maintain appropriate clinical hygiene practices.
• Items potentially contaminated with body fluids, such as dental and surgical instruments, endotracheal tubes, should be thoroughly cleaned and sterilized between uses.
• Reused suture has been identified as a source of FIV transmission. Intravenous fluid lines and bags, as well as food, can become contaminated with body fluids (especially blood or saliva) and should not be shared among patients.
• Hypodermic needles should not be reused, and oral dosing equipment like syringes should not be shared among animals.
• Animal caretakers and hospital staff members should wash their hands after handling animals and cleaning cages. Both FeLV and FIV can be transmitted through blood transfusions. Hence, all blood donors should be confirmed to be infection-free.
• Cats used for blood or tissue donation should be screened and confirmed to be negative for FeLV antigen and FeLV provirus by PCR, as well as for FIV antibodies.
•  PCR testing of donors with negative FeLV antigen tests is necessary because cats with regressive infections are capable of transmitting infection through blood transfusion.

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