Infectious Disease Research Flashcards
What type of agent is FIV?
Lentivirus
What are the characteristics of FIV in infected cats?
Experimental transmission via infected blood or cultured cells. Cell-associated viremia in 1-2 weeks, remains persistent despite Ig and T-cell immunity. Lymphadenopathy, neutropenia, and decreased lymphocyte proliferative response. Increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections with B-cell lymphomas and myeloproliferative disease seen in some infected cats.
What should be considered when vaccinating cats for FIV?
Will have false positive on ELISA snap test.
What does FIV in cats model? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the model?
HIV in humans.
Considered to be the most relevant, naturally occurring model of human AIDS. Similar in pathogenesis and clinical signs, easy to experimentally induce, and has predictable disease progression.
Limited reagents available for identifying immune cells in cats and antigenically distinct from HIV.
What neoplasm is most common following FIV infection?
Lymphoma
What type of virus is Feline Leukemia virus?
Gammaretrovirus
What are the two presentations of FeLV?
- Fulminant disease which leads to immunodeficiency and death
- Controlled and eliminated by host
After infection, a fraction of cats are persistently viremic with virus excreted through saliva and nasal secretions
How is FeLV prevented and diagnosed?
Effective vaccines available.
Diagnosed via ELISA detecting the major viral core protein p27 gag or IFA
Is vaccination effective for FIV?
Vaccine provides reasonable protection when exposed to heterologous viral strains.
What are the strengths of the FeLV model? What is it used to study?
Substantial information about pathogenesis and immune response. Several strains of varying virulence available. Easy to induce infection and disease in cats.
HIV/AIDS and retroviral-induced immunodeficiency. Hematopoietic tumors (lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoma)
What type of virus is feline foamy virus (FFV)? What is its research use?
Spumavirus.
Cats are asymptomatic. Potential vehicle for gene therapy delivery
What are the two species of Helicobacter found in cats? Describe each.
H. felis: Wide host range. Able to induce many of the lesions found in human Helicobacter disease. Unknown prevalence or sig. of clinical disease in cat
H. pylori: Gastritis progresses to peptic ulcers and ends as gastric carcinoma. Cats appear to be naturally infected. Possible reservoir.
What does feline calicivirus model?
Development of vaccines. Model for human norovirus infection
What does feline coronavirus model?
SARS vaccine research
What does feline parvovirus model?
Parvoviridae
Cross-species transmission
Vaccine development
What does Toxoplasma gondii model?
Vaccine development and zoonotic aspects
What bacterial agents are studied in cats?
H. pylori/felis, Yersinia pestis, Bartonella henselae
