In feline infectious disease testing, what is a limitation of serology for diagnosing active infection?

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Multiple Choice

In feline infectious disease testing, what is a limitation of serology for diagnosing active infection?

Serology detects the animal’s immune response to a pathogen, not the current presence or activity of the infection. Because antibodies can persist after the infection has cleared, and because vaccination can also produce antibodies, a positive serology often indicates exposure or past infection rather than an active, ongoing disease. To prove active infection, you’d typically need evidence of the pathogen itself (such as a rising titer on paired sera, antigen detection, PCR, or culture) rather than a single serology result. This is why serology is limited for diagnosing active infection: it shows exposure, not necessarily current disease.

Serology detects the animal’s immune response to a pathogen, not the current presence or activity of the infection. Because antibodies can persist after the infection has cleared, and because vaccination can also produce antibodies, a positive serology often indicates exposure or past infection rather than an active, ongoing disease. To prove active infection, you’d typically need evidence of the pathogen itself (such as a rising titer on paired sera, antigen detection, PCR, or culture) rather than a single serology result. This is why serology is limited for diagnosing active infection: it shows exposure, not necessarily current disease.

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