Ability of CD8⁺ T Cell Anti-Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) Activity and FIV Proviral DNA Load in Mononuclear Cells in FIV-Infected Cats

Abstract

We investigated the relationship between CD8⁺ T cell anti-feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) activity and FIV proviral DNA load integrated in mononuclear cells. The anti-FIV activity and the proviral DNA load were correlated, and the number of proviral DNA copies was high in cats with decreased anti-FIV activity. Particularly, no anti-FIV activity was detected in the cats staged as having an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related complex or AIDS, and the number of proviral DNA copies was obviously increased compared to those in the cats in the asymptomatic stage. These results suggest that decreased anti-FIV activity destroys the control of in vivo FIV replication, which leads to an increased proviral DNA load with the progression of the clinical stage of disease.