Epidemiology, genetic diversity, and evolution of endemic feline immunodeficiency virus in a population of wild cougars

Focusing on a well-studied cougar population, this study characterized the prevalence, genetic diversity and evolutionary dynamics of endemic feline immunodeficiency virus in wild pumas. By sampling individuals over time and sequencing viral isolates, the authors documented how the virus was transmitted, largely through aggressive contact, and how its diversity accumulated within the host population. The analysis provided one of the most detailed pictures of lentivirus epidemiology in a free-ranging felid, including transmission routes and within-population viral evolution. It laid empirical foundations for later work using FIV as a marker of puma demography and dispersal, and it reinforced the view that FIV persists as a relatively stable endemic infection in wild cougars rather than causing overt epidemic disease.