I'm confused by feline leukemia testing

[jennielynn1970]

I know that you can have false positives, but you can't have a false negative. I was told that by a vet. If the antibodies are there, they will test + for either disease.

I don't know how many false positives there are, but I think many times they test positive when they have been exposed for a period of time, have been bitten (most adults testing positive are stray males) or are born with it. Most of the cats I know that have tested positive STAYED positive. I've only known of a few FIV+ cats that actually tested negative later on (they had basically contracted the antibodies from their mother, and the body fought it off).

[Grace]

Information about FeLV from Cornell University.

[JustineNYC]

I know that you can have false positives, but you can't have a false negative. I was told that by a vet. If the antibodies are there, they will test + for either disease.

I don't know how many false positives there are, but I think many times they test positive when they have been exposed for a period of time, have been bitten (most adults testing positive are stray males) or are born with it. Most of the cats I know that have tested positive STAYED positive. I've only known of a few FIV+ cats that actually tested negative later on (they had basically contracted the antibodies from their mother, and the body fought it off).

Both my vets wouldnt test for Leukemia before the cat was 6 months old. They told me you can get false negatives.

[CathyBogart]

Let me give you an overview of how it was presented to me in my animal diseases class.

A cat who is exposed to FeLV can test positive. That doesn't mean that cat will contract the disease. There are three possibilities.

First, many cats are exposed, fight it off, and later test negative. So there is a period of a month or two where they will test positive because the antibodies are present in their system.

This is why none of the vets I worked for considered a positive FeLV test to be a death sentence; they always re-tested three months later. The cats who later test negative have developed immunity due to their exposure to the virus. It is very common for young outdoor kittens to be exposed and test positive but later (and forever after) test negative.

Second, some cats are exposed, never become sick, but always have antibodies present when tested. These cats can be contagious.

Third, obviously, some cats do become sick.

[JustineNYC]

Let me give you an overview of how it was presented to me in my animal diseases class.

A cat who is exposed to FeLV can test positive. That doesn't mean that cat will contract the disease. There are three possibilities.

First, many cats are exposed, fight it off, and later test negative. So there is a period of a month or two where they will test positive because the antibodies are present in their system.

This is why none of the vets I worked for considered a positive FeLV test to be a death sentence; they always re-tested three months later. The cats who later test negative have developed immunity due to their exposure to the virus. It is very common for young outdoor kittens to be exposed and test positive but later (and forever after) test negative.

Second, some cats are exposed, never become sick, but always have antibodies present when tested. These cats can be contagious.

Third, obviously, some cats do become sick.

I remember in 2003 my mom took one of the strays I was feeding in, before we did anything we brought her to the animal hospital. I remember the doctors exact words were "If she tests positive for Leuk. she doesnt leave here" My mom and I looked at eachother and when the vet left the room we were like, 'To hell she isnt'

Sounds like no one knows what their talking about.