Lamprecht JH, Bouic PJ, Freestone M, Austin M, Clark A, Brittle W; International Conference on AIDS.

Int Conf AIDS. 2002 Jul 7-12; 14: abstract no. A10134.

Department of Pharmacology, University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa

BACKGROUND: The effects of FIV infection and drugs on the immune system can be studied in the absence of infective stimuli in a SPF cat colony. A comparative, single measurement study in FIV+, SPF cats, reporting on the correlation between spontaneous apoptosis and other parameters was recently presented. This study was extended to include more time points and an uninfected (FIV-) control group. METHODS: Three groups of FIV+, SPF cats, housed in a barrier unit, were used. One group of 9 cats was treated with a once daily MODUCARETM capsule. A second group of 8 was the untreated FIV+ control and a third group of 28 the FIV- control. Blood sampling was done 6 weekly for 320 weeks. Spontaneous CD4+ lymphocyte apoptosis was measured by annexin V binding to CD4+ gated lymphocytes for the last 4 specimens of the FIV+ cats and the last 2 of the FIV- cats. Total white cell and absolute lymphocyte counts and lymphocyte subsets were also measured. The means of these were statistically analyzed, using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (non-parametric) method and a 5% confidence interval. RESULTS: The mean percentage of spontaneous apoptosis in the treated group was significantly higher (p <0.001) than in the non treated group, although not as high as in the FIV- group (39% vs 19% vs 81%). The total white cell count in the FIV+ treated group and the FIV- group was the same, but was significantly lower (p<0.05) in the FIV+ non-treated group. Total lymphocyte count, CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ percentages were significantly lower (p<0.001) in the FIV+ treated group than the other two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm the correlation between apoptosis and the other parameters noted during the previous study and allows a comparison with FIV- cats. Spontaneous CD4+ apoptosis possibly protects the FIV+ cat by reducing the number of virus producing cells. This phenomenon was enhanced in the group treated with the immune modulator.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Animals
• Apoptosis
• CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes
• Cats
• Felidae
• Felis
• Immunodeficiency Virus, Feline
• Leukocyte Count
• Leukocytes
• Lymphocyte Count
• Lymphocyte Subsets

Other ID:

• GWAIDS0014724

UI: 102252222

From Meeting Abstracts