Can Feline AIDS Be Cured? A Comprehensive Guide

On average, cats diagnosed with FIV have a lifespan of approximately five years.

Feline AIDS vs. Human AIDS

FIV was first isolated in 1986 from a cattery in Northern California. Cats infected with the "feline AIDS virus" may also exhibit immunodeficiency symptoms similar to those caused by human AIDS.

FIV shares many similarities with HIV in various aspects, such as the structure of the virus, the high variability of its genome, and its long incubation period.

Since lentiviruses are typically speciesspecific, feline AIDS cannot be transmitted to humans.

Symptoms of Feline AIDS

In the early stages of FIV infection, the virus replicates in T lymphocytes within nearby lymph nodes, then spreads to other lymph nodes throughout the body.

The health of infected cats gradually deteriorates, with the most common symptoms associated with feline AIDS including chronic upper respiratory diseases, weight loss, fever, oral inflammation, conjunctivitis, rhinitis, diarrhea, and chronic dermatitis.

Feline AIDS can be categorized into three stages based on clinical features: acute, asymptomatic, and terminal.

Acute Stage

The main symptoms include fever, depression, gastrointestinal symptoms, respiratory symptoms, and lymphadenopathy.

Asymptomatic Stage

Most infected cats are asymptomatic carriers of the virus, and this stage can last for years without affecting their quality of life. In the later stages of this period, cats may experience opportunistic infections, tumors, neurological abnormalities, or systemic failure syndrome.

Terminal Stage

The late stages of AIDS infection are characterized by weight loss, persistent diarrhea, gingivitis, chronic gastrointestinal symptoms, chronic respiratory symptoms, chronic dermatitis, tumors, and a series of other symptoms.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Feline AIDS

Diagnosis

Most clinical FIV tests use rapid screening kits for FIV/leukemia, but their limitation is that they cannot differentiate between antibodies induced by vaccines and those produced by the pathogen.

After cats are infected with FIV, only a small number show obvious symptoms, and most cats can only be detected as positive after 60 days of infection, with a few even taking up to six months.

Treatment

1. No clinical symptoms

No treatment is required, and cats should be kept indoors, regularly dewormed, and fed highquality food.

2. Presence of clinical symptoms

Seek other possible causes of the symptoms and treat the disease accordingly.

3. Gingivitis

Avoid using corticosteroids and try using antiviral drugs zidovudine, antibiotics, and cat interferon IFNω; if these are ineffective, consider dental extraction.

4. Neurological symptoms

If neurological symptoms are caused by other diseases, treat those diseases. If not, zidovudine can be used.

5. Recurrent infections

Actively treat with antiviral and antifungal medications.

Transmission of Feline AIDS

The primary mode of transmission for FIV is through saliva, such as deep bite wounds during cat fights, and the licking of kittens by infected queens.

Cattocat sexual contact is not a major route of FIV transmission, and it also does not spread through social interactions between cats, meaning that the chances of FIV transmission are very low, even when cats share food and water bowls, or groom each other.

Prevention of Feline AIDS

There is still much controversy about the FIV vaccine in China, as the vaccine can test positive for FIV after registration, making diagnosis more complex. Therefore, the most important preventive measure is to pay attention to infections between cats. Here are some points to note:

1. Avoid keeping too many cats and try to prevent cat fights.

2. Isolate cats immediately if either a new member or an existing cat is infected with FIV.

3. Spay or neuter cats at an appropriate age to avoid territorial disputes leading to fights.

4. Regularly check the health status of your cats.

FelOVax® FIV Vaccine

This is a FIV vaccine that became available in the United States in 2002 and is effective against FIV AE subtypes. It has also been launched in Canada, New Zealand, and Japan, but there is no FIV vaccine available in China.

Why does VGG classify the FIV vaccine as not recommended?

1. The vaccine targets specific virus subtypes, which may have crossimmunity issues with different subtypes and recombinant viruses in the wild.

2. The vaccine may interfere with antibody testing, which is often used for diagnosis.

3. The vaccine requires repeated immunization (three doses for the primary immunization, followed by an annual booster), and there is a risk of sarcoma at the injection site.

Even if cats test positive for FIV, it doesn't necessarily mean there's no hope. By providing highprotein food and protecting against secondary diseases, cats can still live a normal lifespan.