Feline Retroviruses

Question 1

what does feline leukemia virus do with DNA?

Answer 1

copies- provirus- are inserted randomly into host genome

Question 1

what are the FeLV major protein groups?

Answer 1

gag
pol
env

Question 2

what is important about gag protein p27 of FeLV?

Answer 2

abundant in cytoplasm and plasma of infected cats
used for most diagnostic tests

Question 3

what are almost all cats with FeLV originally infected by?

Answer 3

FeLV-A

Question 4

why is prevalence of FeLV decreasing?

Answer 4

vaccination
testing/separation

Question 5

which FeLV subgroup increases the frequency of neoplasia in a cat?

Answer 5

FeLV-B

Question 6

how is the virus shed from viremic cats?

Answer 6

constantly: same amount whether they are sick or healthy

Question 7

what happens about 3 weeks after infection in progressive infection?

Answer 7

bone marrow starts producing infected neutrophils and platelets

Question 8

can a regressive infection convert into a progressive state with FeLV?

Answer 8

yes- pregnancy, immunosuppression

Question 9

what disease conditions are associated with FeLV infection?

Answer 9

bone marrow disorders
neoplasia
immunosuppression
immune-mediated disease

Question 10

what are FeLV bone marrow disorders associated with?

Answer 10

progressive infection

Question 11

how much more likely are FeLV cats with progressive infection to develop lymphoma than cats without FeLV?

Answer 11

60x

Question 12

what is one of the main causes of death in FeLV cats?

Answer 12

infection secondary to immunosuppression

Question 13

what are the FeLV associated immune mediated diseases?

Answer 13

glomerulonephritis
uveitis
polyarthritis

Question 14

when should you test for FeLV?

Answer 14

kitten
sick
about to be adopted/rehomed
at risk of eexposure
“unknown” status

Question 15

what is the most common screening test for FeLV?

Answer 15

ELISA

Question 16

what does the ELISA for FeLV detect?

Answer 16

viral antigens: gap protein p27 in plasma

Question 17

what does it mean that the IFA for FeLV is highly specific?

Answer 17

positive result is highly reliable

Question 18

what can be used to test for regressive FeLV infection?

Answer 18

provirus PCR

Question 19

what are the FeLV alternative therapies?

Answer 19

lymphocyte T cell immune modulator
AZT: reverse transcriptase inhibitor
feline interferon omega

Question 20

what are the FeLV vaccine options?

Answer 20

inactivated adjuvanted FeLV vaccine
nonadjuvanted recombinant FeLV vaccine

Question 21

what is FIV?

Answer 21

enveloped RNA virus
family retroviridae
genus lentivirus

Question 22

what does FIV do?

Answer 22

infects CD4+ helper T cells and macrophages and destroys them
decreased cell-mediated immunity

Question 23

who is at highest risk for FIV?

Answer 23

intact adult male outdoor cats

Question 24

how is FIV transmitted?

Answer 24

primary: bite wounds (shed in saliva) blood transfusions vertical transmission not likely

Question 25

what is FIV pathogenesis characterized by?

Answer 25

long period of clinical latency

Question 26

what type of virus is feline leukemia virus?

Answer 26

enveloped RNA retroviridae of gammareetrovirus

Question 27

how does feline leukemia virus infect cells?

Answer 27

reverse transcribes RNA into DNA in cells cell divides resulting in daughter cells with provirus

Question 28

what is the env protein gp70 of feline leukemia virus used for?

Answer 28

vaccine

Question 29

what do FeLV test kits detect?

Answer 29

all 4 subgroups of FeLV

Question 30

what does FeLV-C cause?

Answer 30

erythroid hypoplasia and therefore severe anemia

Question 31

how is FeLV transmitted?

Answer 31

vertical: embryonic death, stillbirth, viremic kittens fading horizonta

Question 32

what are the three outcomes of FeLV pathogenesis?

Answer 32

progressive: 30-40% regressive: 30-40% abortive: 20-30%

Question 33

what is the most common neoplasia associated with FeLV infection?

Answer 33

thymic lymphoma

Question 34

what do bone marrow disorders associated with FeLV look like?

Answer 34

anemia: pure red cell aplasia leukopenia thrombocytopenia

Question 35

is the ELISA for FeLV more likely to have false negatives or false positives?

Answer 35

false positives negative result is highly reliable

Question 36

what types of infection can a cat have with a positive FeLV PCR?

Answer 36

regressive progressive not abortive

Question 37

what should you avoid giving cats with FeLV?

Answer 37

glucocorticoids or immunosuppressants

Question 38

what does the FeLV vaccine prevent?

Answer 38

progressive infection not regressive infection

Question 39

who is most susceptible to FeLV?

Answer 39

kittens

Question 40

is FeLV or FIV more contagious?

Answer 40

FeLV also higher morbidity

Question 41

where does FIV replicate first?

Answer 41

lymphocytes and macrophages

Question 42

what are the three phases of FIV?

Answer 42

acute subclinical terminal

Question 43

how long can cats remain subclinical for FIV?

Answer 43

several years, maybe entire lives subclinical phase: T cell numbers rebound

Question 44

what is terminal FIV like?

Answer 44

neoplastic opportunistic infections myelosuppression neurologic disease

Question 45

what are the FIV disease syndromes?

Answer 45

severe stomatitis neurologic signs uveitis chronic diarrhea

Question 46

what is the ELISA for FIV used to detect?

Answer 46

antibodies ro p24 core protein and sometimes to the gp40 transmembrane protein

Question 47

can serologic tests distinguish between maternal antibodies or vaccine for FIV and FIV infection?

Answer 47

yes: anigen FIV/FeLV and witness FeLV-FIV

Question 48

how can you treat FIV?

Answer 48

steroids? reverse transcriptase inhibitor feline interferon omega lymphocyte T cell immune modulator

Question 49

does the lifespan of FIV infected cats differ from those not infected?

Answer 49

not really

Question 50

if a cat tests positive for FIV on the ELISA, what should you do?

Answer 50

confirm with western blot retest in 6 months