Exogenous glucocorticoids alter parameters of early feline immunodeficiency virus infection

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), a lentivirus, causes progressive immun osuppression and neurologic dysfunction in cats. Glucocorticoids are common therapeutic agents that are also immunosuppressive, and their use might en hance the pathogenic effects of lentivirus infections. Methylprednisolone a cetate, a long-acting glucocorticoid, was administered to cats before FN in oculation, and the course of early infection was monitored. The humoral imm une response to FN was not affected by corticosteroid treatment, but CD8(+) cell-mediated antiviral activity was poor in cultures from FIV-infected ca ts treated with methylprednisolone. Steroid-treated cats had higher plasma viral RNA levels than untreated cats during acute viremia. In contrast, FIV -associated changes in brain stem auditory-evoked potentials were slow to d evelop in the methylprednisolone-created cats. Methylprednisolone treatment of cats with established FIV infections appeared to reverse these neurophy siologic changes. These results emphasize the complexity of host-lentivirus interactions and suggest potential advantages and drawbacks of using gluco corticoids in lentivirus infections.