Infections with feline leukemia virus (FeLV) in postmortem cats

Cats presented for post-mortem examination were examined by immune histological techniques for the presence of persistent FeLV infections. Persistent FeLV infection was found to be the most common fatal infectious disease currently occurring in cats. It was detected in 16 per cent of the cats referred for post-mortem examination, whereas a proportion of 3 per cent may be regarded as likely in the normal population.