MegaELISA® FIV is an enzyme immunoassay for the qualitative detection of antibodies against the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) in plasma or serum of the cat.

The Feline Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (FAIDS), caused by the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), is distributed world-wide in felids. Prevalences can vary in a wide range due to keeping conditions (stray cats, day release cats) from 2–3% in Germany up to over 30% in Italy and 44% in Japan.

Infection with FIV containing body fluids, blood or blood components normally goes parenteral (through bite injuries, blood transfusions, mating with following neck bite) as well as by transplacental and perinatal transmission into the blood of healthy cats. Free-roaming tomcats with strong territorial behaviour are regarded as “risk animals” with significantly higher infection rates.

The initial stage of infection (enlarged lymph nodes, pyrexia, neutropenia etc.) often remains unnoticed. The following lag period usually is asymptomatic over years. Only then, first specific symptoms become apparent, predominantly caused by the diverse secondary symptoms (e.g. stomatitis, tumour diseases, anaemia and leukopenia), to a lesser extent by the virus itself (e.g. neurological symptoms, lymphomas).

Due to the more or less asymptomatic initial phase and latent period and the fact that nearly 95% of the FIV infected cats show high FIV antibody levels 4 weeks post infection, the detection of FIV antibodies plays an important role as routine method of choice for the diagnosis of a potential FIV infection.

Based on highly specific and synthetic FIV proteins, MegaELISA® FIV is an important diagnostic tool for the diagnostic evaluation of clinical as well as anamnestic FIV suspicious cats.