TY - JOUR
T1 - Pathological manifestations of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection in wild African lions
AU - Roelke, Melody E.
AU - Brown, Meredith A.
AU - Troyer, Jennifer L.
AU - Winterbach, Hanlie
AU - Winterbach, Christiaan
AU - Hemson, Graham
AU - Smith, Dahlem
AU - Johnson, Randall C.
AU - Pecon-Slattery, Jill
AU - Roca, Alfred L.
AU - Alexander, Kathleen A.
AU - Klein, Lin
AU - Martelli, Paolo
AU - Krishnasamy, Karthiyani
AU - O'Brien, Stephen J.
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank the following people for their logistic support, field sample collection, and processing: from the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity (NCI), Alison Pearks Wilkerson, Victor David, Ceth Parker, Cate Calson, Valerie Buckley-Beason, Brad Alger, Tyson Stull, and David Wells; in Botswana, Steve Ross, Ruth Kamnitzer, Albert Appelcryn, Nkgopolang Solomon, Pelotshweu P. Galebotswe, Mr. Alone and the staff of Moremi Air, La Roo La Tau, Rann Safari, and Air Botswana. We would also like to thank Dane Hawk, Piero Laricchiuta, Ingrid Steyns, Alan Klide, Joan Klenhaus, and Cindy Anderson for veterinary support in the field; Jan Martinson and Russ Hanson for expert assistance on import and CITES permits; and Richard Montali and Diana Haines for consultation on histopathology. Samples were collected in full compliance with specific federal permits (CITES; Endangered and Threatened Species) issued to the National Cancer Institute, principal investigator S.J. O'Brien, by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior. Permission for Botswana sample collection was granted by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks and the Office of the President, Republic of Botswana research permit grant # OP 46/1 XCV (38), issued March 1, 2002. The Messerli Foundation of Switzerland provided funding and support for Serengeti collections. This project has been funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, under contract N01-CO-12400. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. This Research was supported [in part] by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, National Cancer Institute, Center for Cancer Research.
PY - 2009/7/20
Y1 - 2009/7/20
N2 - Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) causes AIDS in the domestic cat (Felis catus) but has not been explicitly associated with AIDS pathology in any of the eight free-ranging species of Felidae that are endemic with circulating FIV strains. African lion (Panthera leo) populations are infected with lion-specific FIV strains (FIVple), yet there remains uncertainty about the degree to which FIV infection impacts their health. Reported CD4+ T-lymphocyte depletion in FIVple-infected lions and anecdotal reports of lion morbidity associated with FIV seroprevalence emphasize the concern as to whether FIVple is innocuous or pathogenic. Here we monitored clinical, biochemical, histological and serological parameters among FIVple-positive (N = 47) as compared to FIVple-negative (N = 17) lions anesthetized and sampled on multiple occasions between 1999 and 2006 in Botswana. Relative to uninfected lions, FIVple-infected lions displayed a significant elevation in the prevalence of AIDS-defining conditions: lymphadenopathy, gingivitis, tongue papillomas, dehydration, and poor coat condition, as well as displaying abnormal red blood cell parameters, depressed serum albumin, and elevated liver enzymes and gamma globulin. Spleen and lymph node biopsies from free-ranging FIVple-infected lions (N = 9) revealed evidence of lymphoid depletion, the hallmark pathology documented in immunodeficiency virus infections of humans (HIV-1), macaques, and domestic cats. We conclude that over time FIVple infections in free-ranging lions can lead to adverse clinical, immunological, and pathological outcomes in some individuals that parallel sequelae caused by lentivirus infection in humans (HIV), Asian macaques (SIV) and domestic cats (FIVfca).
AB - Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) causes AIDS in the domestic cat (Felis catus) but has not been explicitly associated with AIDS pathology in any of the eight free-ranging species of Felidae that are endemic with circulating FIV strains. African lion (Panthera leo) populations are infected with lion-specific FIV strains (FIVple), yet there remains uncertainty about the degree to which FIV infection impacts their health. Reported CD4+ T-lymphocyte depletion in FIVple-infected lions and anecdotal reports of lion morbidity associated with FIV seroprevalence emphasize the concern as to whether FIVple is innocuous or pathogenic. Here we monitored clinical, biochemical, histological and serological parameters among FIVple-positive (N = 47) as compared to FIVple-negative (N = 17) lions anesthetized and sampled on multiple occasions between 1999 and 2006 in Botswana. Relative to uninfected lions, FIVple-infected lions displayed a significant elevation in the prevalence of AIDS-defining conditions: lymphadenopathy, gingivitis, tongue papillomas, dehydration, and poor coat condition, as well as displaying abnormal red blood cell parameters, depressed serum albumin, and elevated liver enzymes and gamma globulin. Spleen and lymph node biopsies from free-ranging FIVple-infected lions (N = 9) revealed evidence of lymphoid depletion, the hallmark pathology documented in immunodeficiency virus infections of humans (HIV-1), macaques, and domestic cats. We conclude that over time FIVple infections in free-ranging lions can lead to adverse clinical, immunological, and pathological outcomes in some individuals that parallel sequelae caused by lentivirus infection in humans (HIV), Asian macaques (SIV) and domestic cats (FIVfca).
KW - FIV
KW - Free-ranging
KW - Immune depletion
KW - Lentivirus
KW - Lions
KW - Pathology
KW - Wild
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U2 - 10.1016/j.virol.2009.04.011
DO - 10.1016/j.virol.2009.04.011
M3 - Article
C2 - 19464039
AN - SCOPUS:67649771460
SN - 0042-6822
VL - 390
SP - 1
EP - 12
JO - Virology
JF - Virology
IS - 1
ER -