The Late Asymptomatic and Terminal Immunodeficiency Phases in Experimentally FIV-Infected Cats—A Long-Term Study
Brian G. Murphy,
Diego Castillo,
Sarah Cook,
Christina Eckstrand,
Samantha Evans,
Ellen Sparger,
Chris K. Grant
Affiliations
Brian G. Murphy
Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-5270, USA
Diego Castillo
Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-5270, USA
Sarah Cook
Specialty VetPath, 3450 16th Avenue W, Suite #303, Seattle, WA 98119, USA
Christina Eckstrand
Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7034, USA
Samantha Evans
Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Ellen Sparger
Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-5270, USA
Chris K. Grant
Custom Monoclonals International, 813 Harbor Boulevard, West Sacramento, CA 95691, USA
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a lentivirus in the family Retroviridae that infects domestic cats resulting in an immunodeficiency disease featuring a progressive and profound decline in multiple sets of peripheral lymphocytes. Despite compelling evidence of FIV-associated immunopathology, there are conflicting data concerning the clinical effects of FIV infection on host morbidity and mortality. To explore FIV-associated immunopathogenesis and clinical disease, we experimentally inoculated a cohort of four specific pathogen-free kittens with a biological isolate of FIV clade C and continuously monitored these animals along with two uninfected control animals for more than thirteen years from the time of inoculation to the humane euthanasia endpoint. Here, we report the results obtained during the late asymptomatic and terminal phases of FIV infection in this group of experimentally FIV-infected cats.
