Treat Felis Feline immunodeficiency virus disease
ISSN 2398-2950      

Feline immunodeficiency virus disease

f  felis
Contributor(s):

Stephen Barr

Michael Day

Richard Squires

Severine Tasker

Synonym(s): FIV

Introduction

  • Cause: feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) Feline immunodeficiency virus.
  • Signs: primary disease (lymphadenopathy, systemic illness); secondary disease (immunodeficiency diseases), eg chronic stomatitis, diarrhea, skin disease and opportunistic infections.
  • Diagnosis: ELISA Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), rapid immunomigration, Western blot, virus isolation.
  • Treatment: drugs for secondary illnesses, eg antibiotics; short-term corticosteroids, specific anti-retroviral drugs rarely used.
  • Prognosis: depends on response of opportunistic and secondary diseases to treatment. Often quite good in short to medium-term.
    Print off the Owner factsheet on FIV Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) to give to your client.

Pathogenesis

Etiology

  • FIV - species specific retrovirus; has many similarities to HIV but poses no public health risk.

Predisposing factors

General

  • Older male cats more likely to be infected.

Specific

  • FeLV Feline leukemia virus disease - primary disease caused by FIV is worse if cat already infected with FeLV. No statistical link between prevalence of the two infections suggests that they act independently.

Pathophysiology

  • Infection with virus   →   viremia   →   lymphadenopathy, lymphopenia, neutrophilia, followed by a quiescent phase and then a steady decline in T helper cells (CD4+)   →   immunodeficiency.

Timecourse

  • Once infected, cats do not eliminate virus.
  • FIV positive, cats can live, in apparent good health, for years.

Epidemiology

  • Virus spread by biting, also possibly in utero.
  • More commonly diagnosed in sick cats than healthy.

Diagnosis

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Treatment

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Prevention

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Outcomes

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Further Reading

Publications

Refereed papers

  • Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
  • Little S, Levy J, Hartmann K, Hofmann-Lehmann R, Hosie M, Olah G, Denis K S (2020) 2020 AAFP Feline Retrovirus Testing and Management Guidelines. J Feline Med Surg 1, 5-30 (Full Article).
  • Harrus S, Klement E, Aroch I et al (2002) Retrospective study of 46 cases of feline haemobartonellosis in Israel and their relationships with FeLV and FIV infections. Vet Rec 151 (3), 82-85 PubMed.
  • Hartmann K, Werner R M, Egberink H et al (2001) Comparison of six in-house tests for the rapid diagnosis of feline immunodeficiency and feline leukaemia virus infections. Vet Rec 149 (11), 317-320 PubMed.
  • Lappin M R (2000) Feline infectious uveitis. J Feline Med and Surg 2 (3), 159-163 PubMed.
  • Hughes M S, Ball N W, Love D N et al (1999) Disseminated Mycobacterium genavensen infection in a FIV-positive cat. J Feline Med and Surg 1 (1), 23-29 PubMed.
  • Heider H J, Pox C, Loesenbeck G & Egberink H (1998) Ophthalmological findings in association with different virus infections in the cat. JSAP 8 (2), 35-42 VetMedResource.
  • Nowotny N, Uthman A, Haas O A et al (1995) Is it possible to catch leukaemia from a cat? The Lancet 346 (8969), 252-253 PubMed.

Other sources of information

  • Hopper C D, Sparkes A H, Harbour D A (1994) Feline immunodeficiency virus. In: Feline Medicine and Therapeutics.2nd Edn. Ed Chandler E A, Gaskell C J, Gaskell R M. Blackwell Science, Oxford OX2 OEL, UK. pp 488-505.
  • McCaw D L (1994) Advances in therapy for retroviral infections. In: Consultations in Feline Internal Medicine 2. Ed: August J R pp 21-25.
  • Shelton G H (1994) Management of the feline immunodeficiency virus-positive patient. In: Consultations in Feline Internal Medicine 2. Ed: August J R. pp 27-31.

Related Images

Calicivirus infection: oral lesion 01
Lung: cowpox pneumonia - radiograph lateral
Mouth: gingivitis - hyperplastic plasmacytic

RELATED ARTICLES

2020 AAFP Feline Retrovirus Testing and Management Guidelines

Abscess

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Airway abscessation

Anemia: immune-mediated hemolytic

Anterior uvea: traumatic uveitis

Aspergillosis

Axillary wound

Bacterial skin disease: overview

Cat pox disease

Cat pox virus

Cerebellum: hypoplasia (feline panleukopenia related)

Conjunctivitis

Cryptococcosis

Deep pyoderma

Demodex cati

Diarrhea: dietary

Diarrhea: parasites

Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)

Eye: chorioretinitis

Feline immunodeficiency virus

Feline infectious anemia

Feline infectious peritonitis

Feline leukemia virus disease

FIV test

Giardia spp

Gingivitis and stomatitis

Glaucoma

Glomerulonephritis

Haw's syndrome

Hematology: platelet count

Hydrocephalus

Hydrocephalus: congenital

Hyphema

Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia

Infectious infertility in the female

Kidney: acute renal failure

Lymphoproliferative disease

Mouth: squamous cell carcinoma

Mycobacterium bovis

Mycobacterium lepraemurium

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Myeloid leukemia

Myopathies

Nocardiosis

Notoedric mange

Optic neuritis

Parasitic skin disease: overview

Penis and sheath: clinical examination

Pharyngitis / tonsillitis

Pneumonia

Prednisolone

Pseudomonas spp

Pyothorax

Pyrexia: overview

Respiratory fungal disease

Rhinitis

Rustrela virus infection: non-suppurative meningoencephalitis

Seizures

Skin: allergic contact dermatitis

Skin: demodectic mange

Skin: dermatophytosis

Skin: irritant contact dermatitis

Skin: pemphigus vulgaris

Skin: sarcoptic mange

Spinal lymphoma

Spine: arachnoid cyst

Spongiform encephalopathy

Therapeutics: antimicrobial drug

Thrombocytopenia

Toxoplasmosis

Tuberculosis

Uveitis: viral

Viral-induced upper respiratory tract disease

Weight loss

OWNER FACTSHEETS

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)

RELATED DIAGNOSTIC TREES

Lymphadenopathy (multiple nodes)

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