Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
197,768 studies31 sourcesUpdated 21 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Australian Veterinary Journal

Performance of point‐of‐care tests for diagnosing feline immunodeficiency virus infection in captive African lions ( Panthera leo )

  • SE Jobbins1
  • ME Westman1,2
  • K Vinette Herrin3
  • T Meili4
  • R Hofmann‐Lehmann4
  • JM Norris1,2
4 affiliations
  1. 1Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006 Australia
  2. 2The Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006 Australia
  3. 3Taronga Wildlife Hospital, Taronga Zoo Bradleys Head Rd, Mosman, New South Wales 2088 Australia
  4. 4Clinical Laboratory, Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services, and Center for Clinical Studies, Vetsuisse Faculty The University of Zurich, Zurich CH‐8057 Switzerland
Read full textPDFDOICite

Abstract

Point‐of‐care (PoC) antibody (Ab) testing forms an integral component of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) diagnosis in both domestic and non‐domestic felids, with test kits designed for use in domestic cats frequently extrapolated for use in their wild counterparts. The SNAP® FIV/FeLV Combo lateral flow ELISA is commonly used to assign FIV infection status in wild and captive African lions (Panthera leo). The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of four other commercially available PoC FIV antibody test kits in African lions held in Australian zoos, when compared to SNAP® as a quasi‐reference test. To first validate the use of SNAP®, a subset of samples from SNAP® FIV‐positive (n = 3) and SNAP® FIV‐negative (n = 23) lions were evaluated with Western blotting, with perfect agreement demonstrated (Cohen's kappa coefficient = 1). Forty‐eight serum samples from SNAP® FIV‐positive (n = 16) and SNAP® FIV‐negative (n = 32) lions were then assessed with Anigen Rapid®, Witness®, VetScan® Rapid and SensPERT® FIV Ab tests. No seropositivity was observed in FIV‐infected lion sera using Anigen Rapid® or Witness® (Se 0%, Sp 100%), which utilise domestic cat FIV (FIV‐Fca) transmembrane glycoprotein gp40 as their capture antigen. In contrast, VetScan® Rapid, which employs FIV‐Fca capsid protein p24 as its capture antigen, demonstrated excellent performance (Se 100%, Sp 96.9%). The presence of p24 as a capture antigen did not guarantee the performance of an assay, as SensPERT®, which also features p24 as its capture antigen, was significantly less sensitive than VetScan® Rapid (Se 25%, Sp 100%; p < 0.001). Our findings have important implications for captive threatened felids, where timely, accurate diagnosis and careful management are critical for minimising retroviral transmission. We recommend using SNAP® or VetScan® Rapid FIV Ab tests for accurate diagnosis of FIV infection in African lions; however, the original VetScan® Rapid FIV test has been unavailable in Australia since 2019.

Related

  1. Selective Immune Modulation in Seminal Plasma During Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection Despite Systemic Inflammation
    Nongthombam Boby, Bapi Pahar
    Clinical immunology (Orlando, Fla.)Peer-reviewedLicence not statedFull textMicrobiologyPMC
  2. Distinct phases of immune system programming during ART-suppressed immunodeficiency virus infection
    Maanasa Kaza, Benjamin Varco-Merth, G.W. McElfresh +17
    Cell ReportsPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0MicrobiologyCrossref
  3. Severe Tick Infestation and Haemogregarina spp. Infection in a Captive African Rock Python ( Python sebae ): A Clinical and Parasitological Case from Nigeria
    Foluke Adedayo Akande, Adrian A. Diaz Sanchez, Adeniyi Olugbenga Egbetade +6
    Veterinary Medicine and SciencePeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textMicrobiologyHAL
  4. Refractory Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bronchopulmonary Infection After Lung Transplantation for Common Variable Immunodeficiency Despite Maximal Treatment Including IgM/IgA-Enriched Immunoglobulins and Bacteriophage Therapy
    Manon Levêque, Nadim Cassir, Fanny Mathias +7
    Infection and Drug ResistancePeer-reviewedCC BY-NCFull text15 citedImmunologyHAL
  5. A case of infection with a candidate new subtype, tentatively termed M, of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 of group M.
    Philippe Colson, Céline Boschi, Marielle Bedotto +7
    New microbes and new infectionsPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textMicrobiologyEurope PMC

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{jobbins2026performance,
  title = {{Performance of point‐of‐care tests for diagnosing feline immunodeficiency virus infection in captive African lions ( Panthera leo )}},
  author = {SE Jobbins and ME Westman and K Vinette Herrin and T Meili and R Hofmann‐Lehmann and JM Norris},
  journal = {Australian Veterinary Journal},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1111/avj.70137},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/avj.70137},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Performance of point‐of‐care tests for diagnosing feline immunodeficiency virus infection in captive African lions ( Panthera leo )
AU  - SE Jobbins
AU  - ME Westman
AU  - K Vinette Herrin
AU  - T Meili
AU  - R Hofmann‐Lehmann
AU  - JM Norris
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/09
JO  - Australian Veterinary Journal
DO  - 10.1111/avj.70137
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1111/avj.70137
AB  - Point‐of‐care (PoC) antibody (Ab) testing forms an integral component of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) diagnosis in both domestic and non‐domestic felids, with test kits designed for use in domestic cats frequently extrapolated for use in their wild counterparts. The SNAP® FIV/FeLV Combo lateral flow ELISA is commonly used to assign FIV infection status in wild and captive African lions (Panthera leo). The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of four other commercially available PoC FIV antibody test kits in African lions held in Australian zoos, when compared to SNAP® as a quasi‐reference test. To first validate the use of SNAP®, a subset of samples from SNAP® FIV‐positive (n = 3) and SNAP® FIV‐negative (n = 23) lions were evaluated with Western blotting, with perfect agreement demonstrated (Cohen's kappa coefficient = 1). Forty‐eight serum samples from SNAP® FIV‐positive (n = 16) and SNAP® FIV‐negative (n = 32) lions were then assessed with Anigen Rapid®, Witness®, VetScan® Rapid and SensPERT® FIV Ab tests. No seropositivity was observed in FIV‐infected lion sera using Anigen Rapid® or Witness® (Se 0%, Sp 100%), which utilise domestic cat FIV (FIV‐Fca) transmembrane glycoprotein gp40 as their capture antigen. In contrast, VetScan® Rapid, which employs FIV‐Fca capsid protein p24 as its capture antigen, demonstrated excellent performance (Se 100%, Sp 96.9%). The presence of p24 as a capture antigen did not guarantee the performance of an assay, as SensPERT®, which also features p24 as its capture antigen, was significantly less sensitive than VetScan® Rapid (Se 25%, Sp 100%; p < 0.001). Our findings have important implications for captive threatened felids, where timely, accurate diagnosis and careful management are critical for minimising retroviral transmission. We recommend using SNAP® or VetScan® Rapid FIV Ab tests for accurate diagnosis of FIV infection in African lions; however, the original VetScan® Rapid FIV test has been unavailable in Australia since 2019.
SN  - 0005-0423
SN  - 1751-0813
ER  -