![]() ![]() ![]() Genomic DNA was extracted and FIV provirus was amplified by nested PCR as described previously, using primers directed to FIV gag (CA), pol (RT) and env (V3-V4) regions, generating fragments with 405 bp, 603 bp and 554 bp, respectively. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were separated from plasma by centrifugation. A blood sample (3 mL) was collected by venipuncture (jugular or femoral) and placed in a tube with anticoagulant (EDTA). All captured cats were neutered and adopted. The age of the kittens when captured varied between 6 to 8 weeks, because the queen rejected them after weaning. Eleven cats from the colony, including the queen (RJ48), two tom cats (RJ34 and RJ35) and three kittens - two from one litter (RJ51 and RJ52) and one from the other litter (RJ36) - were captured in cage traps or restrained manually. The average number of neonates per litter was 1 to 2. The queen had two litters per year and she aborted twice. ![]() ![]() During the breeding season two tomcats were seen roaming in the area. She was very aggressive and she was constantly isolated. This queen was monitored for three years. During this period, the number of cats dropped from twenty to one untamed female cat (queen). The colony was visually observed for five years. The cohort was comprised mainly of stray cats, although owned cats that roam freely sometimes appeared. The data were obtained from a colony of 20 cats living on private property in the northern district of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Herein we present indirect evidence of natural transmission of FIV from queen to kitten in a group of stray domestic cats living in an urban environment. first demonstrated natural vertical transmission in pumas in 1996. After the acute stage of infection, the plasma antibody titer rises, circulating viral antigens become undetectable, and vertical transmission becomes unlikely. This is believed to result from the biological characteristics of the virus, in which a high viral burden is produced for only a few weeks after infection. In nature, FIV-positive queens rarely infect their offspring. Intrauterine transmission leads to several pathogenic consequences including arrested fetal development, abortion, stillbirth, subnormal birth weight, and birth of viable, virus-infected and T-cell-deficient but asymptomatic kittens. Data obtained from experimental studies shows that FIV can be transmitted to 70% of the kittens with acute infection of the mothers, and the transmission can occur via placenta, during the birth process or through nursing. The average litter size for healthy cats maintained under equatorial natural photoperiod is about 4.82 ± 1.24 kittens (Dias C.G.A., unpublished observations), and may be influenced by many factors, including development of systemic diseases. Vertical and sexual transmission is unusual in nature, but experimental infection of cats with specific strains produces high rates of fetal infection and reproductive failure. FIV is transmitted mainly by biting, which frequently occurs during fights or coitus, as the male bites the female at the neck to restrain her and to control positioning of both animals’ hindquarters. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a member of the retrovirus group which includes human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and can cause acquired immune deficiency syndrome in cats. ![]()
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