Retrovirus cats feline acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Medical search. Frequent questions

Image showing an adult cat with feline immunodeficiency FIV is a viral disease caused by a retrovirus that affects only felines (therefore cats, in particular stray but not, for example, dogs) and which is transmitted from infected person to person healthy mostly through scratching and biting, because the pathogen is contained in saliva and blood. (aids2010.org)
DNA sequences that form the coding region for the viral envelope (env) proteins in retroviruses. (lookformedical.com)
Because biting is the most efficient means of viral transmission, free-roaming, aggressive male cats are the most frequently infected, while cats housed exclusively indoors are much less likely to be infected. (mongabay.com)
Virologists classify FIV as a lentivirus, a slow-acting organism that is in the same viral family as the potentially deadly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), says Dr. Levy, associate professor of small animal internal medicine at the University of Floridas College of Veterinary Medicine. (catwatchnewsletter.com)

It can weaken a cat's immune system (immunosuppression) and make the cat susceptible to other infectious organisms such as bacteria, other viruses, yeast, fungi, etc. (secondary or "opportunistic" infections). (chappellevet.ca)
Species of the genus LENTIVIRUS, subgenus primate immunodeficiency viruses (IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUSES, PRIMATE), that induces acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in monkeys and apes (SAIDS). (lookformedical.com)
Proteins synthesized by HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUSES such as the HIV-1 and HIV-2 . (lookformedical.com)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - A University of Florida researcher has discovered an unexpected link between the viruses that cause feline and human AIDS: Cats vaccinated with an experimental strain of the human AIDS virus appear to be at least as well-protected against the feline version of the disease as those immunized with the vaccine currently used by veterinarians. (mongabay.com)
To determine the extent to which the human and feline AIDS viruses react to each other, and any implications that might exist for vaccine efficacy, Yamamoto began experimenting with long-term, nonprogressive strains of FIV that led to the current commercial vaccine. (mongabay.com)
Since several animal RNA tumor viruses (Klein 1980) and cells of the putative human retroviruses isolated to date (Bronson et al. (science-connections.com)

Acquired defect of cellular immunity that occurs in cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and in some cats infected with feline leukemia virus (FeLV). (nih.gov)
Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a disease that impairs the cat's immune system and causes certain types of cancer. (homehealth-uk.com)
FeLV is usually contracted from cat-to-cat transmission (e.g. bites, close contact, grooming, and sharing dishes or litter pans). (homehealth-uk.com)
Although these diseases are in the same retrovirus family and cause many similar secondary conditions FeLV and FIV are different diseases, so it is important to determine which virus (if any) your cat has. (homehealth-uk.com)
FIV is in the same retrovirus family as Feline leukemia virus (FeLV). (mongabay.com)

Low levels of CD4+ and other affected immune system cells cause the cat to be susceptible to opportunistic diseases once the disease progresses to feline acquired immune deficiency syndrome (FAIDS). (wikipedia.org)

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a Lentivirus that affects cats worldwide, with 2.5% to 4.4% of felines being infected. (wikipedia.org)
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a lentivirus that affects domesticated housecats worldwide. (mongabay.com)
Directed evolution of retrovirus envelope protein cytoplasmic tails guided by functional incorporation into lentivirus particles. (ucdenver.edu)

Although FIV is similar to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in people, FIV cannot be transmitted to people, and cats cannot carry HIV. (chappellevet.ca)
We talk about it here because it often happens to meet people - both cat owners and non-cat owners - who confuse the two syndromes, human and feline, and fear that there is a danger of transmission. (aids2010.org)
Let's get rid of this doubt immediately: cat "AIDS" has nothing to do with HIV infection in humans, which is transmitted sexually or through direct contact with infected (human) blood, and which above all has other pathogenic cause. (aids2010.org)
FIV is similar to HIV (the human immunodeficiency virus) and causes a feline disease that is similar to AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). (homehealth-uk.com)
External envelope protein of the human immunodeficiency virus which is encoded by the HIV env gene. (lookformedical.com)
Transmembrane envelope protein of the HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS which is encoded by the HIV env gene. (lookformedical.com)
The surprise finding may mean cats with feline immunodeficiency virus, also known as FIV or feline AIDS, could eventually be treated even more effectively using some form of the experimental human vaccine. (mongabay.com)
Since its discovery in 1987, FIV infection of cats has been used in vaccine studies as a small-animal model of human AIDS. (mongabay.com)
FIV attacks the immune system of cats, much like the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks the immune system of human beings. (mongabay.com)
CDC has issued guidelines to reduce the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among health-care workers, emergency-response and public-safety workers, and others who might be exposed to HIV while performing job duties (1-4). (cdc.gov)
B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). (cdc.gov)
After the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, a number of SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses (SC2r-CoVs) were identified in Rhinolophus bats, and some of them can use human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) for the infection receptor without acquiring additional mutations. (bvsalud.org)
While most feline infectious diseases affect only cats, and most human infectious diseases affect only humans, it is important to be aware that some of these diseases-called zoonotic diseases-can be transmitted between cats and people. (snapcats.org)
A cat cannot contract HIV from a human, and a human cannot be infected by FIV through contact with an infected cat. (catwatchnewsletter.com)
Likewise, while it is known that HIV can be transmitted from an infected human mother to her offspring while nursing, this is uncommon in cats. (catwatchnewsletter.com)
A virus identified in apes living in forests south of the Sanaga River is the closestfound to the human immunodeficiency virus. (balloon-juice.com)
Although preventing blood exposures is the primary means of preventing occupa- tionally acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, appropriate postexposure management is an important element of workplace safety. (cdc.gov)
A novel retrovirus, human T -celllymphomaleukemia virus (HTLV), has been isolated from the fresh and cultured cells of two of these patients. (science-connections.com)
It would seem reasonable then to survey human T -cell malignancies for the presence of retroviruses. (science-connections.com)
We sought to evaluate preclinically the protective efficacy of passive bNAb immunization against simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) infection in the context of concurrent vaginal STIs. (cdc.gov)

This report reviews Public Health Service (PHS) recommendations for postexposure management of workers who have occupational exposures that may place them at risk of acquiring HIV infection, provides background information on zidovudine and experience with zidovudine postexposure prophylaxis, and presents considerations relevant to a decision to offer postexposure prophylaxis. (cdc.gov)

However, cats with FIV may have immune deficiencies that eventually make the cats vulnerable to the same secondary diseases that people with depressed immune systems can acquire (for example, chronic diarrhea or respiratory or skin problems that people with HIV/AIDS or individuals undergoing chemotherapy treatments can have). (chappellevet.ca)
Isolation is important to prevent a cat from transmitting FIV to other cats and to prevent the infected cat (with a weakened immune system) from contracting diseases from other cats in the neighborhood. (chappellevet.ca)
HIV-positive pregnant women can, as we have seen, transmit the infection to the unborn child, but antiretroviral therapy is able to reduce this risk;Prevent and treat venereal diseases, which are also a risk factor for acquired immunodeficiency infection. (aids2010.org)
If so, hes at especially high risk for infection with the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), a submicroscopic, parasitic organism that can weaken his immune system and, in time, make him vulnerable to a host of opportunistic diseases. (catwatchnewsletter.com)
In most cats, however, susceptibility to opportunistic diseases increases progressively as the animals immune system is repeatedly challenged by successive episode of illness. (catwatchnewsletter.com)

Subsequent characterization of this virus has shown that it is not significantly related to any known animal retrovirus, is not an endogenous (genetically transmitted) virus of man, and so far has been associated only with fresh or cultured T -cells from patients with T -cell neoplasia. (science-connections.com)
TWiV 1049: Long COVID's book of homeostatic cats October 1, 2023 TWiV explains how immune profiling was used to identify distinguishing features of Long COVID, and how a co-opted feline endogenous retroviral envelope promotes cell survival by controlling copper transport and homeostasis in cats. (microbe.tv)

Retroviruses that have integrated into the germline ( PROVIRUSES ) that have lost infectious capability but retained the capability to transpose. (lookformedical.com)
TWiV 1065: Cat coronavirus gains function in Cyprus November 26, 2023 TWiV reviews ban on gain-of-function research by the House, chronic wasting disease in Tennessee deer, nOPV2 causing paralysis in children, and an outbreak of feline infectious peritonitis in Cyprus caused by a new recombinant coronavirus. (microbe.tv)

however, any cat can acquire this disease. (chappellevet.ca)
The disease is also rarely transmitted from an infected mother cat to her nursing kitten in the milk. (chappellevet.ca)
FIV-positive cats can share water bowls, food bowls (for both wet and dry cat food), and use the same litter box with low danger of transmitting the disease. (wikipedia.org)
What is AIDS in cats (feline immunodeficiency syndrome)FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency), is a common disease of cats, similar to AIDS and for this reason defined, in fact, cat AIDS. (aids2010.org)
The feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection is a complex retrovirus that causes immunodeficiency disease in domestic cats. (homehealth-uk.com)
The chance that an FIV infected cat will pass the disease onto other cats within a household is less than 2% as long as there is no fighting or biting. (mongabay.com)
Keeping infected cats separated from disease free cats is the only sure way of preventing the spread of the disease. (mongabay.com)
However, unlike in domestic cats, the virus does not necessarily cause disease in these species, perhaps because these species have acquired, during evolution, mutations that confer resistance to it. (mongabay.com)
Her most recent studies have attempted to improve the efficacy of that vaccine by using strains of FIV found in cats in which the disease had not progressed for some reason over several years. (mongabay.com)
However, simple precautions, common sense, and good hygiene, including careful handling of litter boxes and treating cats with fleas and other parasites, can further reduce the risk of zoonotic disease. (snapcats.org)
Transmission of a zoonotic disease can potentially occur when a person comes into direct contact with secretions or excretions-such as saliva or feces-from an infected cat. (snapcats.org)
1975) have required the establishment of continuously growing cell lines from the disease of origin or cocultivation of these cells with previously established cell lines, the ability to grow malignant T -cells in long-term culture could facilitate the isolation of retroviruses from these diseased states. (science-connections.com)

Cat AIDS can be kept under control but not treated, because there are no drug therapies capable of eradicating the virus once it has infected the animal. (aids2010.org)
AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. (ucdenver.edu)
There is the prospect that we may find out something else after the fact: that another polio vaccine may have inadvertently infected its recipients with an even more fearsome and insidious virus, the one that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome - AIDS. (aidsorigins.com)

Lack of association between feline AB blood groups and retroviral status: a multicenter, multicountry study. (nih.gov)

Kittens are much more susceptible to the virus, as are males and cats that have outdoor access. (homehealth-uk.com)

Mucosal infection and vaccination against feline immunodeficiency virus. (nih.gov)

This latent stage can last for many years before the cat shows any outward signs of illness (clinical signs or symptoms). (chappellevet.ca)
The presence of such symptoms, particularly in cats that roam or have been strays in the past (and therefore may have been exposed through bites from other cats) leads a veterinarian to want to test a cat for FIV, to confirm or eliminate FIV as a cause of the symptoms. (chappellevet.ca)
Whilst most infected cats do not show symptoms, they are prone to developing other infections and certain types of cancer. (homehealth-uk.com)
What are the symptoms of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus? (homehealth-uk.com)
An FIV-infected cat may not show any symptoms for years. (homehealth-uk.com)
Once symptoms do develop, however, they may continually progress, or a cat may show signs of sickness interspersed with health for years. (homehealth-uk.com)

The effects of Avemar treatment on feline immunodeficiency virus infected cell cultures. (nih.gov)
Antiviral treatment of feline immunodeficiency virus-infected cats with (R)-9-(2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)-2,6-diaminopurine. (nih.gov)
Feline immunodeficiency virus neuropathogenesis: from cats to calcium. (nih.gov)
Vif of feline immunodeficiency virus from domestic cats protects against APOBEC3 restriction factors from many felids. (nih.gov)
Probing the interaction between feline immunodeficiency virus and CD134 by using the novel monoclonal antibody 7D6 and the CD134 (Ox40) ligand. (nih.gov)
Feline immunodeficiency virus infection: an overview. (nih.gov)
Feline immunodeficiency virus infection--causative agent of an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in cats. (nih.gov)
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) can cause an irreversible infection in cats. (chappellevet.ca)
Initially, for a few weeks after infection as the virus is spreading through the body, a cat may have a low-grade fever, enlarged lymph nodes, or other vague signs of illness that may never be detected. (chappellevet.ca)
FIV was first isolated in 1986, by Niels C Pedersen and Janet K. Yamamoto at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in a colony of cats that had a high prevalence of opportunistic infections and degenerative conditions and was originally called Feline T-lymphotropic virus. (wikipedia.org)
FIV is transmitted primarily through deep bite wounds, where the virus present in the infected cat's saliva enters the body tissues of another cat. (wikipedia.org)
The chance that an FIV-infected cat will pass the virus to other cats within a household is low, unless there is fighting between cats, or wounds present that could allow entry of the virus from infected to non-infected cat. (wikipedia.org)
The American Association of Feline Practitioners (an organization in the United States), as well as many feral cat organizations, recommends against euthanizing FIV-positive cats, or even spending funds to test for the virus. (wikipedia.org)
However, FIV is a highly species-specific virus that infects only felines. (homehealth-uk.com)
What is Feline Leukaemia Virus? (homehealth-uk.com)
This virus infection is second only to trauma as the leading cause of death in cats, killing 85% of persistently infected felines within three years of diagnosis. (homehealth-uk.com)
The virus commonly causes anaemia or lymphoma, but because it suppresses the immune system, it can also predispose cats to deadly infections. (homehealth-uk.com)
FIV can infect other feline species, and in fact in some large wild cat species, such as African lions, the virus is commonly present. (mongabay.com)
Owners are urged to have their cats tested for feline immunodeficiency virus. (catwatchnewsletter.com)
The organism is also classified as a retrovirus - a type of virus that transports its genetic blueprint (DNA) from one animal to another in the form of ribonucleic acid (RNA). (catwatchnewsletter.com)
We dont know why this is, she says, but it appears that a cats immune system is better able to ward off the virus when it is sexually transmitted than when it is transmitted by biting. (catwatchnewsletter.com)

Russian Blue Kitten photograph by Sensual Shadows Photography Before you go in search of Russian Blue Kittens have a look at these and have a look at some Russian Blue adult cats too and read about this cat breed. (pictures-of-cats.org)
I've also built a page in which I discuss the breed standard in a general kind of way, nothing too technical, which may interest potential buyers of Russian Blue kittens as it also contains a large format slide show of a lot of cats of this breed to get a feel as to how they appear and what they should look like under the breed standard. (pictures-of-cats.org)
Similarly, kittens younger than 6 months can test positive not because they are infected, but because they acquired antibodies to the infection from their mother's milk. (chappellevet.ca)
On rare occasions infection is transmitted from an infected mother cat to her kittens, usually during passage through the birth canal or when the newborn kittens ingest infected milk. (homehealth-uk.com)

A retrovirus, like FIV, is an organism that survives by invading the animal's healthy cells and "taking control" of the mechanism that the cells use to replicate. (chappellevet.ca)

FIV is a natural infection of domestic cats that results in an immunodeficiency syndrome resembling HIV infection in humans. (mongabay.com)

FIV compromises the immune system of cats by infecting many cell types, including CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, and macrophages. (wikipedia.org)

Clinical aspects of feline retroviruses: a review. (nih.gov)

However, humans cannot be infected by FIV, nor can cats be infected by HIV. (wikipedia.org)
FIV and HIV are both lentiviruses, however, neither can infect the other's usual host: humans cannot be infected by FIV nor can cats be infected by HIV. (mongabay.com)
You are much more likely to contract ailments from other humans than you are from your cat. (snapcats.org)

We estimate that about four percent of all feral cats in the U.S. are infected, she says. (catwatchnewsletter.com)

It has since been identified in domestic cats. (wikipedia.org)

FIV is spread from cat to cat, primarily through bite wounds from infected cats. (chappellevet.ca)
FIV is mainly passed from cat to cat through deep bite wounds, the kind that usually occur outdoors during aggressive fights and territorial disputes. (homehealth-uk.com)
And pugnacious free-roaming males are more likely, by far, than other felines to bite their sparring partners or be bitten by them. (catwatchnewsletter.com)

Yamamoto's team was also surprised to discover that a core protein found in HIV also effectively protects cats against FIV. (mongabay.com)

One case study conducted in São Paulo found that 75% of FIV-infected cats were males. (wikipedia.org)
All cats are at risk, but in particular those that can easily be attacked by wild or stray cats (especially if males are not neutered, and therefore aggressive), in urban areas or in rural areas. (aids2010.org)

Cats that have FIV must be kept indoors and isolated from other cats. (chappellevet.ca)
It is recommended to keep infected cats indoors as much as possible, because they will be more vulnerable to contracting other infections due to their weakened immune systems. (homehealth-uk.com)

A vigilant pet owner who treats secondary infections can allow an infected cat to live a reasonably long life. (wikipedia.org)

1975), and all patients with cutaneous T -cell lymphomas (mycosis fungoides, Sezary syndrome, and nodular papulosis) (Lutzner et al. (science-connections.com)
Immune 72: After dark in the library with Ellen Rothenberg September 23, 2023 From Cornell University in Ithaca New York, Vincent and Cindy meet with Ellen Rothenberg to review her career in science, starting with work on retroviruses to unraveling transcriptional networks underlying T-cell development and signaling. (microbe.tv)

Yamamoto holds the patent on the only approved vaccine available through veterinarians to protect cats against FIV. (mongabay.com)

Compared to all other feline health threats, FIV infection is quite common, according to Dr. Levy. (catwatchnewsletter.com)
Although sexual contact is a common mode of transmission in HIV, the same does not hold true for FIV, says Dr. Levy, despite the viruss presence in feline semen and other genital secretions. (catwatchnewsletter.com)

The life expectancy of the feline with full-blown FIV is about five years from diagnosis. (aids2010.org)
However, the prognosis and life expectancy is significantly enhanced by regular Vet check-ups and careful health management of infected cats, so early diagnosis is vital. (homehealth-uk.com)

Other cats should not be brought into the household and exposed to this cat (to prevent spreading of FIV), especially if the FIV-positive cat is resentful or aggressive toward other cat(s). (chappellevet.ca)

The unremitting emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants necessitates ongoing control measures. (bvsalud.org)

FIV is known in other feline species, and in fact is endemic in some large wild cats, such as African lions. (wikipedia.org)
In fact, an FIV-positive cat is likely to appear normal for many years following initial infection. (catwatchnewsletter.com)

Some infected cats experience recurrent illness interspersed with periods of relative good health. (catwatchnewsletter.com)

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