Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) was first isolated and identified in 1986. Since then it has been shown to have a worldwide distribution, and the infection generally appears to have reached a state of endemicity. This is the 1st study of FIV-prevalence in Finland. Serum samples of 196 free-roaming cats were tested for antibodies to FIV and FeLV antigens (Feline leukemia virus). With a combined enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), 13 of the cats (6.6%) turned out to be positive for FIV and 2 for FeLV (1.0%). Adult male cats in the capital area of Finland had a FIV prevalence of 24%, a relative proportion 4.7 times higher than that for females.
Kattor erhållna från Djurskyddföreningen i Helsingfors blev serumtestade (196 st) mellan februari och november. Kattorna hade rört sig fritt ute. Tretton kattor hade FIV-antikroppar (6.6%) och 2 FeLV-antigener (1.0%). Prevalensen (24%) hos fullvuxna hankattor inom huvudstadsområdet var 4.7 gånger större än hos honkattor.