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SUMMARY:Receptor usage and the pathogenicity of the felid lentiviruses - P
 rofessor Brian Willet\, Division of Infection and Immunity\, University of
  Glasgow
DTSTART:20100224T163000Z
DTEND:20100224T173000Z
UID:TALK22377@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Suzy Blows
DESCRIPTION:Lentiviruses are widespread pathogens of the Felidae\, infecti
 ng both domestic cats and non-domestic felids. Within the domestic cat pop
 ulation\, feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a significant cause of di
 sease\, with infection resulting in an immunodeficiency syndrome character
 ised by recurrent gingivitis-stomatitis\, cachexia\, wasting\, neuropathol
 ogy and an increased risk of tumour development. The association between l
 entiviral infection and disease development in non-domestic felids is less
  clear\, however lentivirus-infected African lions show a marked decline i
 n CD4+ T lymphocytes and the expansion of an activated CD8a/b+ lymphocyte 
 sub-population\, analogous to observations in FIV and HIV infections. More
 over\, captive lions have succumbed to lentivirus-associated diseases afte
 r prolonged infection and specific pathological changes including lymphade
 nopathy\, gingivitis\, tongue papillomas and cachexia have been described 
 recently in free-ranging lions. In this presentation\, I explore the role 
 of the virus-receptor interaction in the pathogenesis of feline AIDS\, exa
 mining the link between the expression of the viral receptors CD134 and CX
 CR4\, cell tropism and pathogenesis\, and comparing the lentiviruses of th
 e domestic cat and the African lion. Moreover\, our recent data suggest th
 at the nature of the virus-receptor interaction alters with disease progre
 ssion\, suggesting that the virus we isolate from a cat displaying clinica
 l signs may differ significantly from the virus that is transmitted betwee
 n cats.\n
LOCATION:Lecture Theatre 1\, Department of Veterinary Medicine
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