Peripheral immunophenotype and viral promoter variants during the asymptomatic phase of feline immunodeficiency virus infection.

ABSTRACT: Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)-infected cats enter a clinically asymptomatic phase during chronic infection. Despite the lack of overt clinical disease, the asymptomatic phase is characterized by persistent immunologic impairment. In the peripheral blood obtained from cats experimentally infected with FIV-C for approximately 5 years, we identified a persistent inversion of the CD4/CD8 ratio. We cloned and sequenced the FIV-C long terminal repeat containing the viral promoter from cells infected with the inoculating virus and from in vivo-derived peripheral blood mononuclear cells and CD4 T cells isolated at multiple time points throughout the asymptomatic phase. Relative to the inoculating virus, viral sequences amplified from cells isolated from all of the infected animals demonstrat

SUBMITTER: Murphy B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4038716 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature