The body and immune system of cats are close to human ones, so four-legged pets suffer from a large number of diseases. viral infections no less than people. Most similar to human viral infectious disease is a viral immunodeficiency in cats.
FIV or FIV (AIDS, HIV in cats), feline immunodeficiency virus is a common infectious disease that is not geographically specific. It is found in many countries. According to clinical symptoms, structure, biochemical connections, it has many similarities with AIDS.
However, owners who have heard from a veterinarian that their pet has a frightening diagnosis can be calm - transmission of FIV from a cat to a person is absolutely excluded. Numerous laboratory tests this is confirmed.
FIV was first identified in the late 90s of the last century in one of the American nurseries during an outbreak of a disease unusual for cats. This shelter was used for breeding. Sick individuals showed signs characteristic of people with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), caused by the HIV virus (human immunodeficiency virus).
A special type of lentivirus (family of retroviruses) has been identified in animals. The disease, caused by this group of viruses, develops very slowly, and in most cases the cat remains healthy for many years.
FIV is not transmitted to humans, just like HIV is not transmitted to animals, since the viruses are species specific. As a rule, a cat can become infected with FIV through bite wounds, since the saliva of infected individuals contains the highest concentration of the virus. Having penetrated the body, the infection remains in it forever and begins to develop. The question of whether it is possible to get sick from the bites of blood-sucking fleas, for example, remains open.
The spread of feline immunodeficiency is facilitated only by direct contact, because viruses are not resistant to drying, exposure to direct sunlight, and can be easily destroyed using disinfectants.
An analysis of the incidence showed that the disease more often affects cats, which are more aggressive and get into fights more often than females. The age of the sick is from 5 years and older, and animals living in nurseries or on the street become infected more often than domestic animals.
And also common methods of transmission of the virus include transplacental infection of the fetus and infection through milk when kittens are fed by an infected mother.
The first signs of the disease appear within a month after infection and are expressed mainly by fatigue; they do not pose a threat to the pet’s life. Manifesting in mild degree, they may not be noticed by the animal owner.
This virus is also known as feline AIDS. The disease is not transmitted to humans, but small kittens become infected through the mother's placenta, and other individuals through bites. The life of cats sick with the immunodeficiency virus is quite long and absolutely fulfilling, unlike, for example, an animal infected with the feline leukemia virus. According to US studies, from 1.5% to 3% of cats are carriers of the AIDS virus. As a rule, it is impossible for pets that live only indoors and do not go outside to become infected.
The similarity of the feline immunodeficiency virus with HIV is manifested in the mechanism of their effect on the animal body.
First the agent penetrates lymphatic system, after which the animal begins to suffer from fever (increase in temperature), and the number of white and red blood cells decreases.
The main target of the virus is immune cells, mainly T-lymphocytes, which are the first to fight the infection. Therefore, an animal that has an immunodeficiency virus becomes easily susceptible to various diseases.
In addition, sick cats suffer from inflammation of the gums (gingivitis) and inflammation of the mucous membranes. oral cavity(), but it's not specific symptoms, since they are also characteristic of other diseases. The peculiarity of an infected cat is that when exposed to another infection, its body will respond to treatment with less success, and the treatment process will be longer. Often such individuals require additional care and a longer period of treatment.
To do this, you need to take a blood test from the animal. However, the test result will be positive only if the cat has been infected for more than 8-12 weeks. The thing is that it takes time for an animal to develop antibodies. To check for the presence of antibodies in the blood of a sick little purr, special screening tests called enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are performed. To make the diagnosis more likely, another test is done - immunoblotting.
If we compare the general prognosis for a sick person and a cat, then the animal’s condition is more favorable than that of a human. The possibility of a rapid decline in immunity and death in pets is a rare occurrence. Researchers speculate that this is because cats have a relatively short lifespan, meaning they don't live long enough to suffer the effects of the virus.
Fortunately, a vaccine that protects pets from infection with the AIDS virus exists, but no one has yet found the answer to the question of whether it can protect cats from all subtypes of this virus.
Plus, if you test a vaccinated cat for the virus with a screening test, the result will be positive. Therefore, it is almost impossible to distinguish a vaccinated animal from a sick one. All doctors who vaccinate cats against this disease are recommended to microchip their whiskered patients in case they are identified as vaccinated and not sick stray animals who are most likely to be euthanized when they get to the catching service or to the veterinarian.
To avoid infecting your pet, you should keep it indoors and check the health of other pets you adopt. Be sure to perform blood tests on animals before bringing them into your home. If your cat goes outside, have her blood tested periodically.
Together cats and I belong to the class mammals and the placental subclass. Our bodies have many similar structures. Our smaller brothers have the same set of organs as people. Unfortunately, our diseases are similar. Including infectious ones. We endure together helminthic infestations, especially toxocariasis, ascariasis and others. But this is all nonsense compared to such a terrible diagnosis as AIDS.
As scary as it may sound, yes. There is a virus from the Retroviridae family that causes secondary immunodeficiency our furbabies.
Its name is similar to our human immunodeficiency virus - feline immunodeficiency virus (abbreviated as FIV).
It has a similar structure to the human immunodeficiency virus and similar tropism. However, it is not for nothing that it has a clarification of the genus in its name. It has tropism only for immune cells cat.
Reference!
FIV infection should not be confused with AIDS. AIDS is terminal stage FIV infection. This outcome can only be achieved if the disease is left to take its course and no attempts are made to slow down the multiplication of the virus and its damage to immunocompetent cells.
Although human and cat immunodeficiency viruses are from the same family of retroviruses, FIV is not transmitted from cats to humans. Therefore, the owner does not have to fear for his health and continues to care for his beloved cat.
After the virus enters the animal’s body, the disease does not develop immediately.
The first period of the disease is incubation. It is characterized by the fact that, despite the presence of the virus in the body, there is absolutely no clinical manifestations.
The animal remains as cheerful and full of energy. This condition can have different durations. It all depends on the initial state immune system cat and the presence or absence of diseases.
In a completely healthy and strong cat, the feline immunodeficiency virus can remain undetected for even several years, while in a weakened cat with the defect, the clinic will appear less than a month after infection.
During incubation period The virus is contained in small quantities in the animal's body. It gradually infects representatives of cellular immunity - T-helpers. Further, with the activation of viruses and the active destruction of helper cells of the cat’s T-cell immunity, the following symptoms begin to appear:
Viral immunodeficiency can be suspected by the presence of clinical picture and a preliminary event that could lead to infection with the feline immunodeficiency virus (a fight with wounds in the form of bites or coitus with an unknown partner).
General clinical tests will help to further suspect FIV infection.
In the blood picture general analysis Anemia (decrease in hemoglobin level), neutropenia (low number of neutrophil leukocytes) and lymphopenia (there will be a lack of lymphocytes in the blood) will be observed. IN biochemical analysis blood will exhibit hyperglobulinemia due to the gamma fraction.
Effective diagnostic methods for FIV are enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). By using enzyme immunoassay antibodies to FIV are detected, while the polymerase chain reaction determines the presence or absence of genetic material of the virus in the material being tested.
Important!
ELISA may not be informative for some time, since the response of the animal’s immune system requires some time for the virus to multiply, be “noticed” and begin to produce antibodies against the virus.
The norm is the presence of class G immunoglobulin to the feline immunodeficiency virus in the amount of 0-0.3. If such results occur, the test should be repeated after the time prescribed by the veterinarian. If the antibody titer begins to actively increase and goes beyond upper limit norms, this will mean that the test is positive and the animal is really sick.
Attention!
Such testing may result in false positives and false negative result, so repeating it is necessary!
For a more accurate diagnosis, the PCR method is used. It is based on searching for the DNA of the virus.
Also effective is a diagnostic method such as immunoblotting, better known as Western blotting. This method based on the detection of specific proteins in the blood.
Just like HIV infection in humans, complete cure from VIC is impossible. In veterinary medicine at the time of 2018, there are not even drugs that suppress the replication of the virus (the so-called antiretroviral drugs). Therefore, the basis of treatment is drug maintenance therapy.
The following medications are prescribed for a cat with viral immunodeficiency:
Important!
Antiviral therapy should be used on an ongoing basis, since its cancellation or pause will lead to accelerated replication of the virus.
The advantage of cats over humans in this disease is obvious. Cats live on average 13-15 years, so with proper care the animal does not live to the AIDS stage, when literally all organs are affected, and dies of old age.
In the video below, a veterinarian talks about feline immunodeficiency virus.
Viral immunodeficiency is perceived by many owners as nothing more than a death sentence for their pet. However, this is not true. If you properly care for and care for the cat, she will delight her owner for many years until she dies from her long years of happy cat life.
Immunodeficiency in cats is viral disease, which is characterized by slow spread and course, most of the disease occurs without characteristic clinical symptoms.
The causative agent of the disease is the feline immunodeficiency virus, which belongs to the family of retroviruses and can infect domestic cats and their wild relatives.
Feline immunodeficiency virus disease most often spreads among homeless and free-roaming cats.
The infection enters the body through bites during fights between animals. After entering the body the disease long time It is asymptomatic, which makes it difficult to timely detect FIV in a pet.
Most often, adult and old animals are affected, which is due to their aggressive behavior in the struggle for territory.
There is a theory that animals can be affected by infectious leukemia and immunodeficiency without participating in fights. Such an infection is possible when high density stray animals that can infect each other through contact with biological fluids (saliva). The mechanism of infection without bites has not been conclusively proven. Learn more about this disease in the video:
Symptoms that appear with immunodeficiency in cats are nonspecific. Most of the symptoms signal a layer of secondary diseases.
Signs of the disease are nonspecific, so it is impossible to make a definitive diagnosis based on clinical manifestations. To differentiate from other feline infections, the veterinarian prescribes additional laboratory tests to detect the virus antigen in the blood serum. For this purpose, immunological chromatographic studies are used.
Treatment of infectious immunodeficiency in cats is complicated by late diagnosis due to the asymptomatic course. To combat the causative agent of immunodeficiency, complex therapy is used.
When treating a cat for infectious immunodeficiency, the owner must be committed to a long-term therapeutic course. In addition to application medications it is necessary to pay attention to hygiene, the virus can survive external environment up to 4 days, which contributes re-infection animal. To avoid storing the virus in environment It is necessary to regularly disinfect the premises.
With immunodeficiency, the animal can be affected by even the weakest pathogen, so it is recommended to protect the animal from contact with them. You should not allow your pet to communicate even with healthy cats, they can cause the animal to become infected with other diseases.
Fleas can be carriers various diseases, flea treatment is necessary.
At the moment, vaccinating animals against feline infectious immunodeficiency is not effective and is not carried out, so the formation of specific immunity is impossible. To prevent infection of the animal it is necessary:
Feline immunodeficiency has nonspecific symptoms or their complete absence, which may cause untimely treatment and fatal outcome. To protect your pet from the disease, it is necessary to protect it from contact with homeless relatives.
Our body is not much different from a cat's. And, if their immune system malfunctions, this greatly weakens their defense, which makes it possible for various viruses to enter the animal’s body and cause serious and not so serious diseases. Viral immunodeficiency is one of the dangerous conditions, which can occur in cats, and this disease has a similar mechanism as in humans.
Feline immunodeficiency virus is often diagnosed in these animals. One of its main features is that it emergence does not depend on a specific region. Cases of infection with it today are observed in different parts of our planet. This disease has similar symptoms, structure, and biochemical connections as human AIDS.
If, after your next visit to the veterinarian, the doctor informs you that your pet has been diagnosed with the immunodeficiency virus, then you should not worry about your own safety. Experts have spent a lot of time studying the mechanism of development of this disease and say with confidence that a person cannot become infected from a cat that has been diagnosed with FIV. For the first time, a cat virus was discovered back in the late nineties of the 20th century in one of the American nurseries, when it registered an unusual large number cases of cats being infected with an unknown disease.
At that time, American dogs were bred in this shelter. shorthair breed. In the process of observing sick animals, they were able to identify the same symptoms that are observed in people with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome caused by the HIV virus.
Experts have found that dangerous disease in cats it was provoked by a special type of lentivirus. Microorganisms belonging to this group of viruses were known to cause slow-onset diseases. It is noteworthy that an animal can remain completely healthy for many years and not have bright pronounced signs ailments.
Experts have proven that a person cannot become infected with FIV. This is explained by the fact that the cat virus, like HIV, has its own specifics. The virus can enter the animal’s body through bite wounds, since this virus has a maximum concentration in the saliva of infected individuals. If the infection manages to penetrate the body, it remains there forever and begins to develop, gradually spreading to new areas.
Today, even experts cannot give a definite answer to the question of whether it is possible to become infected with the immunodeficiency virus from the bites of blood-sucking animals. Feline immunodeficiency can only spread through direct contact with the victim. This is explained intolerance desiccation viruses, as well as direct sunlight. They also die easily if exposed to disinfectants.
Considering the incidence statistics recent years, we can say that most often the immunodeficiency virus is found in cats with a more aggressive character, who often participate in fights. Basically, these are individuals aged 5 years and older. Another feature that experts were able to identify when studying the feline virus is that the likelihood of contracting dangerous infectious diseases is much higher in cats living in nurseries and on the street than animals kept at home.
The feline immunodeficiency virus can also enter the body as a result of transplacental infection of the fetus and penetration into the body of newborn kittens through mother's milk.
The disease first makes itself felt about a month after the infection penetrates. This can be judged by the animal’s fatigue, which, of course, does not cause concern among owners. As a rule, this symptom is not pronounced enough, so owners ignore it.
Over time, arose on initial stage the symptom disappears, and in subsequent years the virus does not show much activity. But when the animal reaches the age of 5-7 years and favorable conditions arise in the form of stress, decreased immunity, FIV-related diseases can be detected in the animal symptoms. Moreover, not in all cases cats die precisely because of viral immunodeficiency. FIV can only aggravate the course of the underlying disease, which is precisely what leads to death.
If we compare the disease in cats with human AIDS, we can identify similar signs. If we talk about the feline form of immunodeficiency, then after the animal begins to get sick, VIC manifests itself with the following symptoms:
Since with age the animal’s skin and immunity begin to resist external threats less and less well, the risk of developing fungal diseases and secondary infections increases, which, in the presence of a healthy immune system, do not have a single chance to manifest themselves. Several years ago, research showed that FIV can sometimes cause viral leukemia. But diagnose At the same time, these diseases are very rare, since the majority of leukemia affects kittens and young individuals, and the immunodeficiency virus mainly affects animals over the age of 5 years.
Diagnostics plays a very important role in the treatment of VIC. It is based on several studies. Clinical is required analysis, but you can get information with it only after 10 weeks. The primary test can only determine the presence of antibodies. If such a study yielded positive result, then an additional diagnostic examination- immunoblotting.
During treatment FIV in cats has the same goals as in people with HIV symptoms:
To do this, the animal is prescribed strong antibiotics. wide range actions. This is very effective measure, the feasibility of which has been confirmed by numerous studies.
To quickly suppress secondary infections, the animal may be prescribed corticosteroids. But these drugs have a serious drawback - although they are very effective, the effect achieved with their help does not last long. Because of this, there remains a possibility that after stopping their use, the animal’s health may seriously deteriorate.
For the purpose of suppression unpleasant symptoms veterinarians often prescribe to sick animals antiviral drugs intended for people with AIDS. But they only give effect with constant use. Best results they show when used on early stages diseases. If they are canceled at a certain point, then soon the symptoms of the disease will return and manifest themselves with even greater force.
Also, these drugs have other flaw- they have plenty side effects. Thus, there are known cases when these medications caused hepatitis and anemia in animals.
Although experts have been studying this issue for quite a long time, they have not yet been able to create effective medicine against feline immunodeficiency virus.
If the owner heard from the veterinarian terrible diagnosis, this does not mean that the animal’s chances of recovery are completely lost. It is important to remember that cats have a short life expectancy, which averages 10 years. And this time is too short for the virus to completely infect the entire animal’s body.
After confirmation dangerous diagnosis the animal must be provided with appropriate care, which assumes:
In fact, there are medications today that can effectively fight FIV. But doctors resort to them in very rare cases, because they have conducted very few studies that do not allow them to judge whether they are effective in treating all known viruses.
To limit the spread of the feline virus, experts recommend controlling their population and improving the quality of care in nurseries, ensuring that the number of homeless individuals not only does not increase, but also decreases.
Should provide proper conditions for animals kept in nurseries. This especially applies to kittens. It is necessary to carry out on a regular basis special events to maintain cleanliness. If more than the permissible number of animals is kept indoors, this may provoke an outbreak of the disease. The presence of just one infected animal in the cattery is enough for the risk of infection of healthy individuals with whom the sick cat is constantly in contact to increase significantly.
Lack of proper conditions and crowded conditions are good preconditions for animals to get into fights more often, bite each other and demonstrate aggression. If it happens that one of the animals is bitten, this creates a real danger of infection with FIV.
Often, owners who find themselves in this situation for the first time find it difficult to accept the right decision. Without knowing whether the virus can be transmitted to people, they may even agree to euthanasia for their pet. However, veterinarians do not advise doing this. At the same time, owners need to understand that by leaving an infected animal in the house, they are putting other animals in the house at great risk. To minimize this risk, it is necessary to isolate the sick animal and sterilize it. This will help prevent the spread of infection.
Cats, like humans, can be affected from time to time various diseases. Some of them are curable, while others require the attention of a specialist and special care for the animal. One of these pathological conditions is the feline immunodeficiency virus. In many ways, it is very similar to the common infectious disease AIDS in humans. Thus, it is known that the cat virus can only be transmitted animals. And with regard to such animals it is necessary to use a similar approach as with people.
In addition to the fact that it is necessary to create favorable conditions for them, in which the symptoms of the disease will least manifest themselves, it is necessary to exclude or minimize the likelihood of spread dangerous infection. And this can only be done with the participation of a veterinarian, who will be able to give valuable recommendations to the owner, taking into account the current condition of the sick animal.
