The feline leukemia virus (FeLV) belongs to the family Retroviridae; it is the first feline retrovirus discovered and one of the agents that has a great impact on cats’ health and the ecology of the feline population worldwide. It is associated with the occurrence of several syndromes of fatal diseases, including the development of lymphomas. Studies on FeLV have been reported in Colombia, and most of them have been approached from a clinical point of view. However, only a few studies have focused on the prevalence of the infection, while none have clarified which variant or FeLV viral subgroup is presently circulating in our country. Therefore, the present study investigated the prevalence of the infection associated with the molecular characterization of FeLV present in cats in Aburrá Valley, Colombia. The sampling of privately owned and shelter cats was performed in female (n = 54) and male (n = 46) felines; most of them were seemingly healthy according to the owner’s report, with nonspecific clinical history. Immunoassay confirmed that 59.44% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 49.81–69.06%) of felines were FeLV seropositive. The molecular testing of felines using reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction and sequencing showed that 30% (30/100) of felines were positive, and the most prevalent subgroup in the Aburrá Valley was FeLV-A. In conclusion, the frequency of leukemia virus, as revealed by molecular and serological tests, is one of the highest reported frequencies to date, and a high molecular variation is shown in the Colombian population. More studies on the behaviour of the virus in feline populations in Columbia are warranted to determine its prevalence throughout the country.

Desde su descubrimiento por Holzworth en el año 1962, el estudio del Coronavirus Felino (FCoV) ha sido de gran interés ya que este puede afectar a felinos domésticos y silvestres. Actualmente se conocen 2 serotipos, el tipo I que es único de felinos y el tipo II que nace de una doble recombinación homóloga con un coronavirus canino (CCoV); estos a su vez pueden dividirse en 2 biotipos, los virus que generan enfermedades entéricas leves (FECVs) y los que causan la peritonitis infecciosa felina (FIPVs). En el continente americano existen distintos métodos diagnósticos que permiten en conjunto detectar la peritonitis infecciosa felina (FIP), pero la identificación del FCoV solo se puede hacer por métodos moleculares. Los países que más han estudiado este virus son aquellos que cuentan con una mayor cantidad de herramientas para realizar las pruebas diagnósticas como lo son Estados Unidos, Canadá y Brasil. En el presente trabajo se exhiben los reportes de casos y los métodos diagnósticos usados para identificar el coronavirus felino y/o sus biotipos en algunos países del continente americano.