GENETIC AND PHYLOGENETIC DIVERGENCE OF FELINE IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS IN THE PUMA (PUMA CONCOLOR)

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a lentivirus which causes an AI DS-like disease in domestic cats (Felis catus), A number of other feli d species, including the puma (Puma concolor), carry a virus closely r elated to domestic cat FIV. Serological testing revealed the presence of antibodies to FIV in 22% of 434 samples from throughout the geograp hic range of the puma. FIV-Pco pal gene sequences isolated from pumas revealed extensive sequence diversity, greater than has been documente d in the domestic cat. The puma sequences formed two highly divergent groups, analogous to the clades which have been defined for domestic c at and lion (Panthera lee) FIV. The puma clade A was made up of sample s from Florida and California, whereas clade B consisted of samples fr om other parts of North America, Central America, and Brazil, The diff erence between these two groups was as great as that reported among th ree lion FIV clades, Within puma clades, sequence variation is large, comparable to between-clade differences seen for domestic cat clades, allowing recognition of 15 phylogenetic lineages (subclades) among pum a FIV-Pco, Large sequence divergence among isolates, nearly complete s pecies monophyly, and widespread geographic distribution suggest that FIV-Pco has evolved within the puma species for a long period. The seq uence data provided evidence for vertical transmission of FIV-Pco from mothers to their kittens, for coinfection of individuals by two diffe rent viral strains, and for cross-species transmission of FIV from a d omestic cat to a puma, These factors may all be important for understa nding the epidemiology and natural history of FIV in the puma.