Feline and primate immunodeficiency viruses (FIVs, SIVs, and HIV) are transmitted via direct contact (e.g. fighting, sexual contact, and mother-offspring transmission). This dynamic likely poses a behavioral barrier to cross-species transmission in the wild. Recently, several host intracellular anti-viral proteins that contribute to species-specificity of primate lentiviruses have been identified revealing adaptive mechanisms that further limit spread of lentiviruses between species. Consistent with these inter-species transmission barriers, phylogenetic evidence supports the prediction that FIV transmission is an exceedingly rare event between free-ranging cat species, though it has occurred occasionally in captive settings. Recently we documented that puma and bobcats in Southern California share an FIV strain, providing an opportunity to evaluate evolution of both viral strains and host intracellular restriction proteins. These studies are facilitated by the availability of the 2X cat genome sequence annotation. In addition, concurrent viral and host genetic analyses have been used to track patterns of migration of the host species and barriers to transmission of the virus within the African lion. These studies illustrate the utility of FIV as a model to discover the variables necessary for establishment and control of lentiviral infections in new species.
Keywords
FIV; lentiviruses; cross-species transmission
Mini reviewFeline immunodeficiency virus in domestic cats (FIVfca) produces an AIDS like pathology characterized by CD4 depletion, immune suppression, and death (Bendinelli et al., 1995;Willett et al., 1997). As such, it is the only natural model for HIV/AIDS. Similar to the primate lentiviruses, closely related FIVs circulate in non-domestic cat species (Olmsted et al., 1992;Troyer et al., 2005). While antibodies that cross-react to FIV are detectable at a low percentage in most feline species and in the Hyeanidae , little is known about these Jennifer Troyer, Ph.D., Staff Scientist, SAIC_Frederick, Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, NIC-Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, Telephone: 301-846-7478, Fax: 301-846-1909, jtroyer@ncifcrf.gov.
Conflict of Interest Statement:None of the authors has a financial or personal relationship with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias the paper entitled "FIV cross-species transmission: an evolutionary prospective".Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. In the absence of comprehensive datasets, what can be discerned about these non-domestic cat lentiviruses and how does this knowl...