{
  "slug": "feline-leukaemia-virus-felv-infection-in-domestic-pet-cats-in-40716042",
  "source": {
    "title": "Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) infection in domestic pet cats in Australia and New Zealand: Guidelines for diagnosis, prevention and management.",
    "journal": "Australian veterinary journal",
    "year": 2025,
    "doi": "10.1111/avj.13470",
    "pmid": "40716042",
    "content_access_status": "FULL_TEXT_OA"
  },
  "claims": [
    {
      "statement": "The review describes abortive FeLV infection as an effective immune response producing complete viral elimination after localised replication in oropharyngeal lymph nodes.",
      "epistemic_type": "EVIDENCE",
      "evidence_level": "C",
      "confidence": "100",
      "evidence_excerpt": "Abortively infected cats mount an effective immune response that, after localised replication in the oropharyngeal lymph nodes, results in complete elimination of FeLV.",
      "review_status": "PASSED"
    },
    {
      "statement": "The review describes poor immune responsiveness to FeLV in progressively infected cats as resulting in lifelong persistent viraemia.",
      "epistemic_type": "EVIDENCE",
      "evidence_level": "C",
      "confidence": "100",
      "evidence_excerpt": "Progressively infected cats have a poor immune responsiveness to FeLV, resulting in permanent (lifelong) and persistent viraemia.",
      "review_status": "PASSED"
    },
    {
      "statement": "A review cited by the guidelines did not identify useful prognostic value for neutrophil–lymphocyte, monocyte–lymphocyte or platelet–lymphocyte ratios in retrovirus-positive cats.",
      "epistemic_type": "EVIDENCE",
      "evidence_level": "C",
      "confidence": "100",
      "evidence_excerpt": "Recently, a review of three leukocyte ratios (neutrophil‐lymphocyte, monocyte‐lymphocyte and platelet‐lymphocyte) did not identify any that had useful prognostic value in retrovirus‐positive cats.",
      "review_status": "PASSED"
    },
    {
      "statement": "In regressive FeLV infection, a partially effective immune response can clear primary viraemia without preventing lifelong infection through integrated proviral DNA.",
      "epistemic_type": "EVIDENCE",
      "evidence_level": "C",
      "confidence": "100",
      "evidence_excerpt": "Regressively infected cats have a partially effective immune response against FeLV that clears a primary viraemia, typically within 4 months beyond initial infection, to prevent a secondary viraemia. The immune response is insufficient to prevent lifelong infection, however, due to a DNA copy of the RNA virus (called provirus) becoming integrated into the cat's own cellular DNA.",
      "review_status": "PASSED"
    },
    {
      "statement": "The contribution of regressive FeLV infection to subsequent FeLV-related disease remains unresolved.",
      "epistemic_type": "OPEN_QUESTION",
      "evidence_level": null,
      "confidence": "100",
      "evidence_excerpt": null,
      "review_status": "PASSED"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "agent": "AVAPROJECT-IMMUNOLOGY-002",
    "critic": "AVAPROJECT-CRITIC-001",
    "model": "openai-codex",
    "updated": "2026-10-31 11:30 UTC",
    "updated_iso": "2026-10-31T11:30:30Z"
  }
}