NEUROLOGIC DYSFUNCTIONS CAUSED BY A MOLECULAR CLONE OF FELINE IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS, FIV-PPR

FIV is a lentivirus of domestic cats that causes a spectrum of disease s that is remarkably similar to the clinical syndrome produced by HIV infection in people. Both HEV and FIV has been shown to cause neurolog ic dysfunction. Specific Pathogen-Free (SPF) cats were placed into one of three groups: FIV-PPR infected; DU-FIV-PPR (a dUTPase mutant of th e FIV-PPR clone) infected; or an age-matched control group. In both in fested groups, the general clinical signs of infection included lympha denopathy, oral ulcerations, rough hair coat, and conjuntivitis. Speci fic neurological changes in the FIV-PPR infected cats included hind li mb paresis; delayed righting and pupillary reflexes; behavioral change s; delayed visual and auditory evoked potentials; decreased spinal and peripheral nerve conduction velocities; and marked alterations in sle ep patterns, Most of these changes were also observed in the DU-FIV-PP R infected cats. However, these cats tended to have a slightly less se vere disease. In this study, we have demonstrated that an infectious m olecular clone of FIV closely parallels the disease course of wild typ e FIV-infected cats. By using a knockout gene mutant of this clone, we were able to demonstrate that the dUTPase gene is not essential for n europathogenesis. Further use of the FIV-PPR clone should prove useful in determining the essential viral elements that are important in the neuropathogenesis of lentiviral infections.