Hofmann-Lehmann
Fakultäten » Vetsuisse-Fakultät » Nutztiere, Departement für » Veterinärmedizinisches Labor » Prof. Dr. Regina Hofmann-Lehmann » Hofmann-Lehmann
Completed research project
| Title / Titel | Recurrence of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and development of fatal lymphoma in a cat with feline immunodeficiency (FIV) induced immune suppression | ||||||||
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| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||||||||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | In a cat that had ostensibly recovered from feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infection, we observed the reappearance of the virus and the development of fatal lymphoma 8.5 years after the initial experimental exposure to FeLV-A/Glasgow-1. The goals of the present study were to investigate this FeLV reoccurrence and molecularly characterize the progeny viruses. The FeLV reoccurrence was detected by the presence of FeLV antigen and RNA in the blood and saliva. The cat was feline immunodeficiency virus positive and showed CD4+ T cell depletion, severe leukopenia, anemia and a multicentric monoclonal B-cell lymphoma. FeLV-A, but not -B or -C, was detectable. Sequencing of the envelope gene revealed three FeLV variants that were highly divergent from the virus that was originally inoculated (89-91% identity to FeLV-A/Glasgow-1). In the long terminal repeat 31 point mutations, some previously described in cats with lymphomas, were detected. The FeLV variant tissue provirus and viral RNA loads were significantly higher than the FeLV-A/Glasgow-1 loads. Moreover, the variant loads were significantly higher in lymphoma positive compared to lymphoma negative tissues. An increase in the variant provirus blood load was observed at the time of FeLV reoccurrence. Our results demonstrate that ostensibly recovered FeLV provirus-positive cats may act as a source of infection following FeLV reactivation. The virus variants that had largely replaced the inoculation strain had unusually heavily mutated envelopes. The mutations may have led to increased viral fitness and/or changed the mutagenic characteristics of the virus. |
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| Publications / Publikationen | Hofmann-Lehmann, R., V. Cattori, R. Tandon, F. S. Boretti, M. L. Meli, B. Riond and H. Lutz. 2008. How molecular methods change our views of FeLV infection and vaccination. Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 123:119-23.Hofmann-Lehmann, R., E. Holznagel, P. Ossent, and H. Lutz. 1997. Parameters of disease progression in long-term experimental feline retrovirus (feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus) infections: hematology, clinical chemistry, and lymphocyte subsets. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol 4:33-42.Hofmann-Lehmann, R., E. Holznagel, A. Aubert, P. Ossent, M. Reinacher, and H. Lutz. 1995. Recombinant FeLV vaccine: long-term protection and effect on course and outcome of FIV infection. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 46:127-37.Lehmann, R., M. Franchini, A. Aubert, C. Wolfensberger, J. Cronier, and H. Lutz. 1991. Vaccination of cats experimentally infected with feline immunodeficiency virus, using a recombinant feline leukemia virus vaccine. J Am Vet Med Assoc 199:1446-52. | ||||||||
| Keywords / Suchbegriffe | feline leukemia virus, feline immunodeficiency virus, retrovirus, AIDS, viral plasma RNA load, provirus, real-time TaqMan PCR, progressive infection, contained infection | ||||||||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
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| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
SNF (Personen- und Projektförderung), Others SNF Professorship |
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| In collaboration with / In Zusammenarbeit mit |
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| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Aug 1989 to Mar 2010 |