HUMORAL IMMUNITY IN CATS INFECTED WITH FELINE IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS OR LEUKEMIA-VIRUS

The humoral antibody responses of 82 domestic cats to the common comme nsal bacteria Pasteurella multocida and Staphylococcus aureus were mea sured by an indirect immunofluorescence assay to give a subjective qua ntification of specific IgG in serum. There was no significant differe nce in specific serum IgG levels between sick cats which tested antibo dy-positive to feline immunodeficiency virus or antigen-positive to fe line leukaemia virus and sick, virus-negative cats. This finding sugge sted that there was no change in immune status, as measured by this me thod, in both feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus infect ions, although, based on clinical signs shown by the virus-positive ca ts. overall immunosuppression was indicated. Feline immunodeficiency v irus and feline leukemia virus infection may have an effect on cellula r immunity, as is the case with human immunodeficiency virus.