Differential growth and transmission in cats of feline leukaemia viruses of subgroups A and B.
The outcome of infecting cats with FeLV of sub-groups A (FeLV-A) or B (FeLV-B) was different. After FeLV-A infection, virus was quickly recovered from the blood and oropharynx of most animals. Following infection with FeLV-B, only a small proportion of cats developed a viraemia, and this after a long interval. There was no evidence that FeLV-B was transmitted by contact. The result of infecting cats with mixtures of FeLV-A and B (FeLV-AB) was that to a large extent each virus operated independently. FeLV-A was recovered from the plasma first, in a high proportion of the cats, and FeLV-B appeared later but not in all cats. There was evidence of interaction, however, in that the proportion of cats which were viraemic with FeLV-B was greater following FeLV-AB infection than after infection with FeLV-B alone; also FeLV-B was transmitted by contact from cats excreting FeLV-AB. These results help to explain the apparent dependence of FeLV-B on FeLV-A under natural conditions and the frequency of occurrence of sugroups A and B in FeLV isolates.
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology; D002415:Cats; D007267:Injections; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D005256:Leukemia Virus, Feline / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology; D007942:Leukemia, Experimental / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*; D009666:Nose / Q000382:microbiology; D010614:Pharynx / Q000382:microbiology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral