Renal Disease in Cats Infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus

Abstract

Background Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection cause similar clinical syndromes of immune dysregulation, opportunistic infections, inflammatory diseases, and neoplasia. Renal disease is the 4th most common cause of death associated with HIV infection. Objective To investigate the association between FIV infection and renal disease in cats. Animals Client‐owned cats (153 FIV‐infected, 306 FIV‐noninfected) and specific‐pathogen‐free (SPF) research colony cats (95 FIV‐infected, 98 FIV‐noninfected). Methods A mixed retrospective/prospective cross‐sectional study. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine, urine specific gravity (USG), and urine protein:creatinine ratio (UPC) data were compared between FIV‐infected and FIV‐noninfected cats. In FIV‐infected cats, total CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes were measured using flow cytometry, and CD4+:CD8+ T lymphocyte ratio was calculated. Renal azotemia was defined as a serum creatinine ≥ 1.9 mg/dL with USG ≤ 1.035. Proteinuria was defined as a UPC > 0.4 with an inactive urine sediment. Results Among the client‐owned cats, no association was detected between FIV infection and renal azotemia (P = .24); however, a greater proportion of FIV‐infected cats were proteinuric (25.0%, 16 of 64 cats) compared to FIV‐noninfected cats (10.3%, 20 of 195 cats) (P < .01). Neither neuter status nor health status were risk factors for proteinuria in FIV‐infected cats, but UPC was positively correlated with the CD4+:CD8+ T lymphocyte ratio (Spearman's rho = 0.37, P = .01). Among the SPF research colony cats, no association was detected between FIV infection and renal azotemia (P = .21) or proteinuria (P = .25). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Proteinuria but not azotemia was associated with natural FIV infection.

Clinical Findings and Survival in Cats Naturally Infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus

“…Hypotonic fluid losses through vomiting, diarrhea, fever, renal compromise, and decreased water intake can contribute to increased plasma sodium concentrations. Renal diseases are suspected in FIV infection, but a causal association has been difficult to prove . We found no difference between FIV‐infected cats and controls in plasma creatinine concentration, and genitourinary diseases were not a major problem in either group.…”

Renal Alterations in Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)-Infected Cats: A Natural Model of Lentivirus-Induced Renal Disease Changes

“…In a recent study, performed among client-owned cats, no association was detected between FIV infection and renal azotemia was found but 25% (16/64) of naturally FIV-infected cats were proteinuris compared to FIV-uninfected cats (10.3%, 20/195) [20]. Also in our study, only 1/51 experimentally infected animal by FIV-M2, sacrificed one year pi, showed azotemia (serum creatinine 144 µmol/L and mild proteinuria 3.9 g/L with urine protein concentration (UPC) 0.43) (Chronic Renal Failure stage 2) [21].…”

Current Understanding of the Pathogenesis of Progressive Chronic Kidney Disease in Cats

“…56 To date epidemiological studies have not been able to substantiate a clinical association between FIV and CKD. 57,58 o Morbillivirus: Several studies have raised interest in a potential association between CKD and morbillivirus infection (FmoPV), a paramyxovirus identified in cats. [59][60][61][62][63] The virus was shown to have cytopathic effects in FCRK cell lines and in small numbers of stray cats there seemed to be a higher prevalence of tubulointerstitial nephritis in the cats that were positive for the feline morbillivirus than in negative cats, although little demographic and phenotypic data was available for either group.…”