title: Eight-year observation and comparative study of specific pathogen-free cats experimentally infected with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) subtypes A and B: terminal acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in a cat infected with FIV petaluma strain.
abstract: Three specific pathogen-free cats experimentally infected with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) strains Petaluma, TM1 and TM2, respectively were observed for over 8 years. Without showing any significant clinical signs of immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) for 8 years and 4 months of asymptomatic phase, the Petaluma-infected cat exhibited severe stomatitis/gingivitis, anorexia, emaciation, hematological and immunological disorders such as severe anemia, lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, and decrease of CD4/CD8 ratio to 0.075, and finally died with hemoperitoneum at 8 years and 8 months post-infection. Histopathological studies revealed that the cat had systemic lymphoid atrophy and bone marrow disorders indicating acute myelocytic leukemia (aleukemic type). Plasma viral titer of the cat at AIDS phase was considerably high and anti-FIV antibody titer was slightly low as compared with the other FIV-infected cats. In addition, immunoblotting analysis using serially collected serum/plasma samples of these cats revealed that antibodies against FIV proteins were induced in all the infected cats, however in the Petaluma-infected cat anti-Gag antibodies disappeared during the asymptomatic period. These results suggested that plasma viral load and anti-FIV Gag antibody response correlated with disease progression, and supported FIV-infected cats as a suitable animal model of human AIDS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kohmoto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uetsuka
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inoshima
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimojima
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Inada
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toyosaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyazawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Doi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mikami
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D001284:Atrophy; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D002415:Cats; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D016181:Feline Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016089:Immunodeficiency Virus, Feline / Q000145:classification* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008297:Male; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D013997:Time Factors