Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test
I think that there are many unknowns and that the virus can live in many forms. I have had my cat for almost 8 years. The last Elisa test on her before I took her in, at about 3 months, was negative (after an initial positive test). At the time I already had a cat (1.5 yo) who was negative. I was assured that she was negative and would not have Felv. They are both indoor cats and are not exposed to others. So why after having her for so long, does she now test Elisa positive and IFA negative? Has the virus been dormant for 8 years? I have researched on Internet and it seems that there are many unknowns. It would have been impossible for me to separate my cats after 8 years together and the stress of keeping them apart would have been hard on them and me. So they live together and my other cat is fine so far (he is vaccinated). I found the following on the website of the SNap test manufacturer about discordant results and found the comment about true status not being known to be interesting. this is an ELISA-positive and IFA-negative status. Discordant results may be due to the stage of infection, the variability of host responses, or technical problems with testing. The status of the cat with discordant results may eventually become clear by repeating both tests in 60 d and yearly thereafter until the test results agree. Unfortunately, a substantial number of these patients have persistently discordant test results and the catβs true status may not be known. Cats with discordant test results are best considered as potential sources of infection for other cats. Sent from my iPad On Dec 22, 2016, at 10:45 AM, Amy Glunt mailto:amyynoe...@gmail.com>> wrote: If my cat has tested negative on both, is it possible that she could be contagious in the future? I would like to get her a younger cat as a friend, especially now with her energy levels I think she would definitely benefit from having a feline partner. However I am not eager to have another cat with anemia and immune related issues. I figure if there's any chance of her shedding the virus, it's just not safe to bring another cat into the house, and I'm not sure how foolproof the vaccines are against the virus. Amy Sent from my iPhone On Dec 22, 2016, at 12:05 PM, Margo mailto:toomanykitti...@earthlink.net>> wrote: With a negative IFA, the cat should have no virus in a position to shed. It is either not present, or is sequestered in the bone marrow, and undetectable by IFA or Elisa. When a cat is shedding a virus, they are contagious. Is that what you mean? Thanks, Margo -Original Message- From: "Armstrong-Brown, Sheila DDS Timonium" mailto:sheila.armstrong-br...@ssa.gov>> Sent: Dec 22, 2016 8:12 AM To: "'felvtalk@felineleukemia.org<mailto:felvtalk@felineleukemia.org>'" mailto:felvtalk@felineleukemia.org>> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test I had the same situation but when the IFA is negative, the cat should shed the virus after testing negative. They normally retest every 3 months for the felv elisa test. The IFA test is 99.9% accurate. -Original Message- From: Felvtalk [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Corinne Shank Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2016 8:34 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org<mailto:felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test Amy, Your story is similar to mine. I think that there is so much that vets don't know about Felv, so it is great to hear from others with their situation. When I found out that she had Felv from the Elisa test, her blood work was fairly normal and since that time she has gained weight. So I think it is wait and see situation. She still likes to wake me up at 3:00 am π‘, so I think she still feels good. Sent from my iPhone On Dec 21, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Amy Glunt mailto:amyynoe...@gmail.com>> wrote: I'm interested in replies to this as well. I have a somewhat similar experience which I have been pondering over. My own cat, Gravy, tested positive on the Elisa for FeLV in March when we took her in for an ear infection and persistent lethargy. A month ago she had both Elisa and IFA tests and was negative for both and the vet said that the leukemia must have gone dormant in her marrow but that she would still have a suppressed immune system and if she gets ill again, the leukemia could possibly flare back up. Also, I got the news today that after a month on Winstrol and prednisolone (we skipped the doxycycline since she was negative) her RBC has gone from 16 to 40. She is a whole new cat, it's absolutely incredible, and I owe it all to you guys here...my Christmas miracle! Sorry to hijack your post Corinne! Amy Sent from my iPhone On Dec 21, 2016, at 4:45 PM, Corinne Shank mailto:cms9...@hotmail.com>> wrote: My cat tested positive for Felv a f
Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test
If my cat has tested negative on both, is it possible that she could be contagious in the future? I would like to get her a younger cat as a friend, especially now with her energy levels I think she would definitely benefit from having a feline partner. However I am not eager to have another cat with anemia and immune related issues. I figure if there's any chance of her shedding the virus, it's just not safe to bring another cat into the house, and I'm not sure how foolproof the vaccines are against the virus. Amy Sent from my iPhone > On Dec 22, 2016, at 12:05 PM, Margo wrote: > > > > With a negative IFA, the cat should have no virus in a position to shed. It > is either not present, or is sequestered in the bone marrow, and undetectable > by IFA or Elisa. When a cat is shedding a virus, they are contagious. Is that > what you mean? > > Thanks, > > Margo > > -Original Message- >> From: "Armstrong-Brown, Sheila DDS Timonium" >> >> Sent: Dec 22, 2016 8:12 AM >> To: "'felvtalk@felineleukemia.org'" >> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test >> >> I had the same situation but when the IFA is negative, the cat should shed >> the virus after testing negative. They normally retest every 3 months for >> the felv elisa test. The IFA test is 99.9% accurate. >> >> >> -Original Message- >> From: Felvtalk [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of >> Corinne Shank >> Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2016 8:34 PM >> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org >> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test >> >> Amy, >> >> Your story is similar to mine. I think that there is so much that vets >> don't know about Felv, so it is great to hear from others with their >> situation. When I found out that she had Felv from the Elisa test, her >> blood work was fairly normal and since that time she has gained weight. So >> I think it is wait and see situation. She still likes to wake me up at 3:00 >> am π‘, so I think she still feels good. >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >>> On Dec 21, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Amy Glunt wrote: >>> >>> I'm interested in replies to this as well. I have a somewhat similar >>> experience which I have been pondering over. My own cat, Gravy, tested >>> positive on the Elisa for FeLV in March when we took her in for an ear >>> infection and persistent lethargy. A month ago she had both Elisa and IFA >>> tests and was negative for both and the vet said that the leukemia must >>> have gone dormant in her marrow but that she would still have a suppressed >>> immune system and if she gets ill again, the leukemia could possibly flare >>> back up. >>> Also, I got the news today that after a month on Winstrol and prednisolone >>> (we skipped the doxycycline since she was negative) her RBC has gone from >>> 16 to 40. She is a whole new cat, it's absolutely incredible, and I owe it >>> all to you guys here...my Christmas miracle! >>> Sorry to hijack your post Corinne! >>> >>> Amy >>> >>> Sent from my iPhone >>> >>>> On Dec 21, 2016, at 4:45 PM, Corinne Shank wrote: >>>> >>>> My cat tested positive for Felv a few months ago from an Elisa test. I >>>> had her tested after she had persistent yeast ear infections and I had >>>> read that immune suppressed cats were prone to yeast infections. In >>>> addition, when she was a kitten she tested positive but then tested >>>> negative. I was told that she had shed the virus and that is why she >>>> tested negative.She is now 8 years old. >>>> >>>> So I put off getting the IFA test as I wanted to see how she did and I >>>> felt that she probably was infected. I finally took her in to get the >>>> test and it came back negative. So I know that the virus is not in her >>>> bone marrow. But what does this mean? The vet said to bring her back in >>>> 6 months for a snap test to see if she has shed the virus, but is this >>>> really possible? >>>> >>>> Sent from my iPad >>>> ___ >>>> Felvtalk mailing list >>>> Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org >>>> http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org >>> >>> ___ >>> Felvtalk mailing list >>> Felv
Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test
With a negative IFA, the cat should have no virus in a position to shed. It is either not present, or is sequestered in the bone marrow, and undetectable by IFA or Elisa. When a cat is shedding a virus, they are contagious. Is that what you mean? Thanks, Margo -Original Message- >From: "Armstrong-Brown, Sheila DDS Timonium" >Sent: Dec 22, 2016 8:12 AM >To: "'felvtalk@felineleukemia.org'" >Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test > >I had the same situation but when the IFA is negative, the cat should shed the >virus after testing negative. They normally retest every 3 months for the >felv elisa test. The IFA test is 99.9% accurate. > > >-Original Message- >From: Felvtalk [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of >Corinne Shank >Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2016 8:34 PM >To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org >Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test > >Amy, > >Your story is similar to mine. I think that there is so much that vets don't >know about Felv, so it is great to hear from others with their situation. >When I found out that she had Felv from the Elisa test, her blood work was >fairly normal and since that time she has gained weight. So I think it is >wait and see situation. She still likes to wake me up at 3:00 am π‘, so I >think she still feels good. > >Sent from my iPhone > >> On Dec 21, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Amy Glunt wrote: >> >> I'm interested in replies to this as well. I have a somewhat similar >> experience which I have been pondering over. My own cat, Gravy, tested >> positive on the Elisa for FeLV in March when we took her in for an ear >> infection and persistent lethargy. A month ago she had both Elisa and IFA >> tests and was negative for both and the vet said that the leukemia must have >> gone dormant in her marrow but that she would still have a suppressed immune >> system and if she gets ill again, the leukemia could possibly flare back up. >> Also, I got the news today that after a month on Winstrol and prednisolone >> (we skipped the doxycycline since she was negative) her RBC has gone from 16 >> to 40. She is a whole new cat, it's absolutely incredible, and I owe it all >> to you guys here...my Christmas miracle! >> Sorry to hijack your post Corinne! >> >> Amy >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >>> On Dec 21, 2016, at 4:45 PM, Corinne Shank wrote: >>> >>> My cat tested positive for Felv a few months ago from an Elisa test. I had >>> her tested after she had persistent yeast ear infections and I had read >>> that immune suppressed cats were prone to yeast infections. In addition, >>> when she was a kitten she tested positive but then tested negative. I was >>> told that she had shed the virus and that is why she tested negative. >>> She is now 8 years old. >>> >>> So I put off getting the IFA test as I wanted to see how she did and I felt >>> that she probably was infected. I finally took her in to get the test and >>> it came back negative. So I know that the virus is not in her bone marrow. >>> But what does this mean? The vet said to bring her back in 6 months for a >>> snap test to see if she has shed the virus, but is this really possible? >>> >>> Sent from my iPad >>> ___ >>> Felvtalk mailing list >>> Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org >>> http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org >> >> ___ >> Felvtalk mailing list >> Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org >> http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org >___ >Felvtalk mailing list >Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org >http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org >___ >Felvtalk mailing list >Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org >http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test
Amy Amy, What a great result on the Winstrol! I feel like maybe I wasn't completely crazy after all (at least about the Winstrol). Now, if we could get some of these other vets to just try it out, especially given the lack of other options. I am also interested in the fact that you didn't use the Doxycycline, but got a great result anyway and I agree that the answer may be because the virus wasn't there or wasn't active. However, we certainly all need to look at the results we are getting and trying to see if we can interpret the results in a way that either confirms or refutes the effectiveness of Winstrol and whether Winstrol must be coupled with other medications like the pednisone/prednisolone or the Doxycycline to be effective. The other thing which is complicating matters, I suspect, is the news that there are actually five viral strains which cause FeLV. Perhaps that may account for the wonky viral test results. Amani -Original Message- From: Felvtalk [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Amy Glunt Sent: December-21-16 7:55 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test I'm interested in replies to this as well. I have a somewhat similar experience which I have been pondering over. My own cat, Gravy, tested positive on the Elisa for FeLV in March when we took her in for an ear infection and persistent lethargy. A month ago she had both Elisa and IFA tests and was negative for both and the vet said that the leukemia must have gone dormant in her marrow but that she would still have a suppressed immune system and if she gets ill again, the leukemia could possibly flare back up. Also, I got the news today that after a month on Winstrol and prednisolone (we skipped the doxycycline since she was negative) her RBC has gone from 16 to 40. She is a whole new cat, it's absolutely incredible, and I owe it all to you guys here...my Christmas miracle! Sorry to hijack your post Corinne! Amy Sent from my iPhone > On Dec 21, 2016, at 4:45 PM, Corinne Shank wrote: > > My cat tested positive for Felv a few months ago from an Elisa test. I had > her tested after she had persistent yeast ear infections and I had read that > immune suppressed cats were prone to yeast infections. In addition, when > she was a kitten she tested positive but then tested negative. I was told > that she had shed the virus and that is why she tested negative.She is > now 8 years old. > > So I put off getting the IFA test as I wanted to see how she did and I felt > that she probably was infected. I finally took her in to get the test and it > came back negative. So I know that the virus is not in her bone marrow. But > what does this mean? The vet said to bring her back in 6 months for a snap > test to see if she has shed the virus, but is this really possible? > ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test
I had the same situation but when the IFA is negative, the cat should shed the virus after testing negative. They normally retest every 3 months for the felv elisa test. The IFA test is 99.9% accurate. -Original Message- From: Felvtalk [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Corinne Shank Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2016 8:34 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test Amy, Your story is similar to mine. I think that there is so much that vets don't know about Felv, so it is great to hear from others with their situation. When I found out that she had Felv from the Elisa test, her blood work was fairly normal and since that time she has gained weight. So I think it is wait and see situation. She still likes to wake me up at 3:00 am π‘, so I think she still feels good. Sent from my iPhone > On Dec 21, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Amy Glunt wrote: > > I'm interested in replies to this as well. I have a somewhat similar > experience which I have been pondering over. My own cat, Gravy, tested > positive on the Elisa for FeLV in March when we took her in for an ear > infection and persistent lethargy. A month ago she had both Elisa and IFA > tests and was negative for both and the vet said that the leukemia must have > gone dormant in her marrow but that she would still have a suppressed immune > system and if she gets ill again, the leukemia could possibly flare back up. > Also, I got the news today that after a month on Winstrol and prednisolone > (we skipped the doxycycline since she was negative) her RBC has gone from 16 > to 40. She is a whole new cat, it's absolutely incredible, and I owe it all > to you guys here...my Christmas miracle! > Sorry to hijack your post Corinne! > > Amy > > Sent from my iPhone > >> On Dec 21, 2016, at 4:45 PM, Corinne Shank wrote: >> >> My cat tested positive for Felv a few months ago from an Elisa test. I had >> her tested after she had persistent yeast ear infections and I had read that >> immune suppressed cats were prone to yeast infections. In addition, when >> she was a kitten she tested positive but then tested negative. I was told >> that she had shed the virus and that is why she tested negative.She is >> now 8 years old. >> >> So I put off getting the IFA test as I wanted to see how she did and I felt >> that she probably was infected. I finally took her in to get the test and >> it came back negative. So I know that the virus is not in her bone marrow. >> But what does this mean? The vet said to bring her back in 6 months for a >> snap test to see if she has shed the virus, but is this really possible? >> >> Sent from my iPad >> ___ >> Felvtalk mailing list >> Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org >> http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > > ___ > Felvtalk mailing list > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test
Amy, Your story is similar to mine. I think that there is so much that vets don't know about Felv, so it is great to hear from others with their situation. When I found out that she had Felv from the Elisa test, her blood work was fairly normal and since that time she has gained weight. So I think it is wait and see situation. She still likes to wake me up at 3:00 am π‘, so I think she still feels good. Sent from my iPhone > On Dec 21, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Amy Glunt wrote: > > I'm interested in replies to this as well. I have a somewhat similar > experience which I have been pondering over. My own cat, Gravy, tested > positive on the Elisa for FeLV in March when we took her in for an ear > infection and persistent lethargy. A month ago she had both Elisa and IFA > tests and was negative for both and the vet said that the leukemia must have > gone dormant in her marrow but that she would still have a suppressed immune > system and if she gets ill again, the leukemia could possibly flare back up. > Also, I got the news today that after a month on Winstrol and prednisolone > (we skipped the doxycycline since she was negative) her RBC has gone from 16 > to 40. She is a whole new cat, it's absolutely incredible, and I owe it all > to you guys here...my Christmas miracle! > Sorry to hijack your post Corinne! > > Amy > > Sent from my iPhone > >> On Dec 21, 2016, at 4:45 PM, Corinne Shank wrote: >> >> My cat tested positive for Felv a few months ago from an Elisa test. I had >> her tested after she had persistent yeast ear infections and I had read that >> immune suppressed cats were prone to yeast infections. In addition, when >> she was a kitten she tested positive but then tested negative. I was told >> that she had shed the virus and that is why she tested negative.She is >> now 8 years old. >> >> So I put off getting the IFA test as I wanted to see how she did and I felt >> that she probably was infected. I finally took her in to get the test and >> it came back negative. So I know that the virus is not in her bone marrow. >> But what does this mean? The vet said to bring her back in 6 months for a >> snap test to see if she has shed the virus, but is this really possible? >> >> Sent from my iPad >> ___ >> Felvtalk mailing list >> Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org >> http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > > ___ > Felvtalk mailing list > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test
I'm interested in replies to this as well. I have a somewhat similar experience which I have been pondering over. My own cat, Gravy, tested positive on the Elisa for FeLV in March when we took her in for an ear infection and persistent lethargy. A month ago she had both Elisa and IFA tests and was negative for both and the vet said that the leukemia must have gone dormant in her marrow but that she would still have a suppressed immune system and if she gets ill again, the leukemia could possibly flare back up. Also, I got the news today that after a month on Winstrol and prednisolone (we skipped the doxycycline since she was negative) her RBC has gone from 16 to 40. She is a whole new cat, it's absolutely incredible, and I owe it all to you guys here...my Christmas miracle! Sorry to hijack your post Corinne! Amy Sent from my iPhone > On Dec 21, 2016, at 4:45 PM, Corinne Shank wrote: > > My cat tested positive for Felv a few months ago from an Elisa test. I had > her tested after she had persistent yeast ear infections and I had read that > immune suppressed cats were prone to yeast infections. In addition, when > she was a kitten she tested positive but then tested negative. I was told > that she had shed the virus and that is why she tested negative.She is > now 8 years old. > > So I put off getting the IFA test as I wanted to see how she did and I felt > that she probably was infected. I finally took her in to get the test and it > came back negative. So I know that the virus is not in her bone marrow. But > what does this mean? The vet said to bring her back in 6 months for a snap > test to see if she has shed the virus, but is this really possible? > > Sent from my iPad > ___ > Felvtalk mailing list > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Negative IFA test
My cat tested positive for Felv a few months ago from an Elisa test. I had her tested after she had persistent yeast ear infections and I had read that immune suppressed cats were prone to yeast infections. In addition, when she was a kitten she tested positive but then tested negative. I was told that she had shed the virus and that is why she tested negative.She is now 8 years old. So I put off getting the IFA test as I wanted to see how she did and I felt that she probably was infected. I finally took her in to get the test and it came back negative. So I know that the virus is not in her bone marrow. But what does this mean? The vet said to bring her back in 6 months for a snap test to see if she has shed the virus, but is this really possible? Sent from my iPad ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org