Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) in wild Pallasâ€TM cats

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), a feline lentivirus related to HIV, causes immune dysfunction in domestic andwild cats. The Pallas’ cat is the only species fromAsia known to harbor a species-specific strain of FIV designated FIVOma in natural populations. Here, a 25% seroprevalence of FIV is reported from 28wildMongolian Pallas’ cats sampled from 2000 to 2008. Phylogenetic analysis of proviral RT-Pol from eight FIVOma isolates from Mongolia, Russia, China and Kazakhstan reveals a uniquemonophyletic lineage of the viruswithin the Pallas’ cat population, most closely related to the African cheetah and leopard FIV strains. Histopathological examination of lymph node and spleen from infected and uninfected Pallas’ cats suggests that FIVOma causes immune depletion in its’ native host. 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 301 846 1299; fax: +1 301 846 1686. E-mail address: [email protected] (M.A. Brown).