Mucosally transmitted feline immunodeficiency virus induces a CD8+ antiviral response that correlates with reduction of cell-associated virus.
Intravaginal inoculation of cats with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) results in acute systemic infection accompanied by a strong CD8+ immune response that inhibits viral replication. CD8+ anti-FIV activity, revealed by increased FIV replication in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) depleted of CD8+ lymphocytes, was detected by 6 weeks after inoculation and correlated with reduced PBMC-associated virus at 12, 16, and 32 weeks after inoculation. Some cats with strong CD8+ anti-FIV activity during acute infection did not seroconvert and yielded no evidence of FIV infection at later times. These data suggest that CD8+ immunity may play a major role in eliminating virus during primary transmucosal FIV infection and may down-regulate viral replication during asymptomatic infection.
Bucci
J G
JG
Department of Microbiology, Pathology, and Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27606, USA.
English
R V
RV
Jordan
H L
HL
Childers
T A
TA
Tompkins
M B
MB
Tompkins
W A
WA
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002415:Cats; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D005260:Female; D016089:Immunodeficiency Virus, Feline; D016180:Lentivirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D014621:Vagina / Q000821:virology; D014766:Viremia / Q000276:immunology; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000276:immunology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral