Table 2.

Recommendations for screening of feline blood donors for blood‐borne pathogens

Agenta	Optimal Standards	Minimal Standardsb	Comments
Vector‐borne pathogens—testing recommended
Anaplasma phagocytophilum	Seronegative and PCR negative cats	PCR negative cats. Seronegative cats are an acceptable alternative if serologic testing is more economical or yields more rapid turnaround time than PCR.	Seropositive, PCR‐negative cats may be used in endemic regions if no other suitable donor can be identified.
A. platys	PCR negative cats	No screening	There is no valid serological assay for cats. Infection of cats has only been occasionally documented.
Bartonella henselae	Seronegative and PCR or culture negative cats	PCR negative cats	Around 70% of seropositive cats are PCR negative. In endemic areas, finding seronegative cats can be difficult and so use of seropositive, PCR negative cats may be needed.
Other Bartonella spp.	PCR negative cats	No screening	Serologic assays are species‐specific, and assays are not readily available for many species. B. henselae appears to be the most pathogenic species.
Cytauxzoon felis	PCR negative cats	No screening	Serology is not available. Testing using PCR is strongly recommended for cats with access to the outdoors that reside in endemic regions; cytologic examination of blood smears is not accurate.
Ehrlichia canis and E. canis‐like	PCR negative cats	No screening	Infection of cats is extremely rare
Mycoplasma haemofelis	PCR negative cats	PCR negative cats	Serologic assays are not available. Cytologic examination of blood smears is not accurate. The organism is a major primary pathogen and so PCR screening is always optimal.
“Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum”	PCR negative cats	No screening	Serologic assays are not available. Cytologic examination of blood smears is not accurate. The organism is not considered a primary pathogen and is highly prevalent in the cat population, so screening could be considered optional.
“Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis”	PCR negative cats	No screening	Serologic assays are not available. “Candidatus M. turicensis” has never been detected using cytologic examination of blood smears, and cytology is not accurate for identification of hemoplasmas. The organism is not considered a primary pathogen and so screening could be considered optional.
Neorickettsia risticii	PCR negative cats	No screening	Serology is not available. The organism has only rarely been associated with infection in cats
Non vector‐borne pathogens—testing recommended
Feline leukemia virus	Antigen negative and proviral DNA PCR negative cats	Antigen negative cats	Clinically validated proviral DNA assays are not routinely available in the United States.
Feline immunodeficiency virus	Antibody negative cats	Antibody negative cats	It is currently not possible to accurately differentiate between an infected cat and an FIV‐vaccinated cat and so all positive cats should be excluded as donors.
Other pathogens—testing not recommended
Feline coronavirus	No screening	No screening	No documentation of virus transmission by blood transfusion.
Rickettsia felis	No screening	No screening	While seropositive cats have been detected, the organism has not been found in the blood of cats in the United States.
Toxoplasmosis	No screening	No screening	No documentation of virus transmission by blood transfusion.

^aSee the text for further discussion of geographic distribution and risk factors.

^bSee the text for further discussion of specific tests.