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<p>In Iberia, the European wildcat (<i>Felis silvestris</i>) faces significant population fragmentation and habitat loss, which promote interactions with free-roaming domestic cats (<i>Felis catus</i>) and amplify the risks of pathogen transmission. Despite these threats, systematic disease surveillance in sympatric wildcat and domestic cat populations remains scarce. We combined two independent surveys to assess viral exposure in wildcats and domestic cats in Iberia. Retrospective serological analyses were conducted on 23 wildcats sampled post-mortem or live-captured in Spain (2003–2017), while 61 free-roaming domestic cats from urban and peri-urban Portugal (2021–2023) were tested. All individuals were screened for feline leukaemia virus antigen, and for antibodies against feline immunodeficiency virus, feline herpesvirus, feline calicivirus, feline panleukopenia virus, feline coronavirus and canine distemper virus. Prevalence of feline leukaemia virus was significantly higher in domestic cats (39,6%, CI95: 26-54) than wildcats (14,3%, CI95: 3,0-36,3). Antibodies against other viral agents showed similar trends, with wildcats generally exhibiting lower seroprevalence. Canine distemper virus was an exception, with higher seroprevalence observed in wildcats (5.3%, CI95: 0,1-26,0) compared to domestic cats (1.7%, CI95: 0,04-8,9). These findings suggest a shared viral reservoir at the wildcat-domestic cat interface and support the urgent need for integrated health surveillance, proactive management of domestic cat populations and epidemiology-informed strategies to enhance the conservation of European wildcat populations.</p>

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A tale of two felids: virus circulation in European wildcats (Felis silvestris) and domestic cats (Felis catus) urges surveillance programs in natural populations

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月17日

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  • Beatriz Sofia Gomes Alves,
  • Ana Sofia Róis,
  • André Marques da Silva,
  • Francisco Díaz-Ruiz,
  • José Francisco Lima Barbero,
  • Nuno Santos,
  • Paulo Célio Alves,
  • Pedro Monterroso,
  • Pablo Ferreras

摘要

In Iberia, the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) faces significant population fragmentation and habitat loss, which promote interactions with free-roaming domestic cats (Felis catus) and amplify the risks of pathogen transmission. Despite these threats, systematic disease surveillance in sympatric wildcat and domestic cat populations remains scarce. We combined two independent surveys to assess viral exposure in wildcats and domestic cats in Iberia. Retrospective serological analyses were conducted on 23 wildcats sampled post-mortem or live-captured in Spain (2003–2017), while 61 free-roaming domestic cats from urban and peri-urban Portugal (2021–2023) were tested. All individuals were screened for feline leukaemia virus antigen, and for antibodies against feline immunodeficiency virus, feline herpesvirus, feline calicivirus, feline panleukopenia virus, feline coronavirus and canine distemper virus. Prevalence of feline leukaemia virus was significantly higher in domestic cats (39,6%, CI95: 26-54) than wildcats (14,3%, CI95: 3,0-36,3). Antibodies against other viral agents showed similar trends, with wildcats generally exhibiting lower seroprevalence. Canine distemper virus was an exception, with higher seroprevalence observed in wildcats (5.3%, CI95: 0,1-26,0) compared to domestic cats (1.7%, CI95: 0,04-8,9). These findings suggest a shared viral reservoir at the wildcat-domestic cat interface and support the urgent need for integrated health surveillance, proactive management of domestic cat populations and epidemiology-informed strategies to enhance the conservation of European wildcat populations.