title: Characterization of the humoral immune response and virus replication in cats experimentally infected with feline foamy virus.
abstract: Cats were experimentally infected with cell culture-adapted feline foamy virus (FFV, spumaretrovirinae) isolate FUV. FFV was consistently recovered from peripheral blood leukocytes and throat samples of FFV-infected cats starting 2 to 3 weeks postinfection (p. i.), indicative of the establishment of persistent FFV infections. Viral persistence was established, even despite neutralizing antibodies that appeared early after infection. The humoral immune response toward FFV was quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed over time. FFV Gag-specific antibodies were first detected 2 weeks p. i. and increased further; reactivities to the other structural and nonstructural FFV proteins appeared slightly delayed. Reactivities against FFV Pol and Gag proteins were detectable by immunoblotting and radioimmunoprecipitation, whereas the latter techniques had to be employed for the unambiguous detection of FFV Env-, Bet-, and Bel 1-specific antibodies.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Retrovirale Genexpression, Forschungsschwerpunkt Angewandte Tumorvirologie, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alke
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schwantes
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zemba
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Flügel
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Löchelt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002415:Cats / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D007700:Kinetics; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D009055:Mouth / Q000821:virology; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D015531:Radioimmunoprecipitation Assay; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology*; D016092:Spumavirus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins