Feline AIDS In Cats

Feline AIDS or feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a viral infection that attacks the immune system of cats. FIV belongs to the same family of virus that triggers AIDS in human beings and the effects caused by it are equally devastating as caused by AIDS. This diseases weakens the overall immune system in cats, making them more prone to infections and diseases. There is no treatment for this disorder, but cats can usually able to survive with it for about 10 years. FIV is also present in the cats milk and therefore can be transmitted from the infected mother cat to the kitten.

Progression of FIV

FIV progresses through 3 different stages of infection:

• Stage 1 The virus first causes infection after entering the body, which is followed by fever and swollen lymph nodes.
• Stage 2 This is known as sub-clinical phase. During this stage, the cat appears healthy as the virus is not in the active state.
• Stage 3 This stage is known as terminal state, the cat suffers from infection and might die within one year. This stage is also known as chronic infection stage.

The transmission of feline AIDS occurs through sexual contact, mother cat to her young, saliva, blood or mothers milk. Researches suggest that about 14% of cat population suffer from this disease, with greater numbers being free-roaming males.

Diagnosis

Blood test is the best way to diagnose FIV infection in cats. Symptoms of feline AIDS are not very easily seen and there for it is difficult to figure out the onset of infection. Severe bladder infections cause a drop in white blood cells, which is indicated in the blood test. Initial test is ELISA and after that false positive test, an initial positive for FIV, followed by a laboratory test (western blotting) which confirms that blood contains antibodies against FIV. The cats with higher risk need to be tested annually, but kittens must not be tested before 6 months as they might show false positive antibodies acquired from the mother cat.

Treatment

No particular treatment is found to be effective against feline AIDS, however if the cat shows no clinical signs, then no treatment is recommended. In case secondary infection or immunodeficiency starts developing, then the doctors needs to choose an appropriate treatment to combat the progression of infection. The treatment strategy includes administration of antibiotics for bacterial infection, proper nutrition, parasite control and sufficient fluid intake. Other treatment methods that can make the immune system strong and combat the progression of infection include:

• Treatment with AZT shows clinical improvement and effective functioning of immune system. However, this drug might result in some adverse side effects in the cat and therefore, it must be given under supervision of an experienced doctor.
• Viral infection can also be reduced by alpha interferon. It is not authorized to be used in cats. However, clinical record shows improvement in blood, activity, appetite and overall health of the cat.
• Bone marrow transplantation is another effective method for fighting against the infection. It has not been performed in a large number of cats infected with feline AIDS, but results indicate success in restoring white blood cells in some cases.

Recently, a vaccine has been made available that can reduce the risk of infection in cats and thus prevent them from developing feline AIDS.