Feline immunodeficiency virus
| Feline immunodeficiency virus | |
|---|---|
| Virus classification | |
| (unranked): | Virus |
| Realm: | Riboviria |
| Kingdom: | Pararnavirae |
| Phylum: | Artverviricota |
| Class: | Revtraviricetes |
| Order: | Ortervirales |
| Family: | Retroviridae |
| Genus: | Lentivirus |
| Species: | Lentivirus felimdef |
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a lentivirus that affects cats worldwide and 2.5% to 4.4% of felines are infected.
FIV was first isolated in 1986, by Niels C. Pedersen and Janet K. Yamamoto at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in a colony of cats that had a high prevalence of opportunistic infections and degenerative conditions, and was originally called feline T-lymphotropic virus. It has since been identified in domestic cats.