Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Amyloidosis linked to natural FIV infection in cats
By Asproni, Pietro et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2013·Department of Animal Pathology, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Amyloidosis in association with spontaneous feline immunodeficiency virus infection.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 34 cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) were examined for kidney and organ issues, and 12 of them (about 35%) had amyloidosis, a condition where abnormal protein builds up in tissues. Some of these cats showed signs of feline acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (F-AIDS), while others were asymptomatic. In contrast, only one out of 30 healthy cats without FIV had amyloid deposits. This study highlights the importance of checking for amyloidosis in FIV-infected cats when they have liver or kidney problems, as it can affect their overall health and treatment options.
People also search for: cat kidney disease symptoms · FIV cat treatment · amyloidosis in cats · feline immunodeficiency virus signs · F-AIDS cat care
Abstract
Tissues from 34 naturally feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)-infected cats, 13 asymptomatic cats and 21 cats with signs of feline acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (F-AIDS), and 35 FIV-seronegative subjects were examined to determine the presence of amyloid deposits. Twenty experimentally FIV-infected cats and five specific pathogen-free (SPF) control cats were also included in the study. Paraffin-embedded sections from kidney and other organs were submitted to histological and histochemical analysis. Amyloid deposits were identified by a modified Congo red stain and confirmed by electron microscopy to demonstrate the presence of amyloid fibrils in amyloid positive glomeruli. In all positive cases, secondary amyloidosis was identified with potassium permanganate pretreatment and amyloid type was further characterised by immunohistochemistry using primary antibodies against human AA and feline AL amyloids. Amyloid deposits were present in different tissues of 12/34 (35%) naturally FIV-infected cats (seven presenting F-AIDS and five in asymptomatic phase) and in 1/30 FIV-seronegative cats. All the experimentally FIV-infected and SPF subjects showed no amyloid deposits. Amyloidosis has been reported in human lentiviral infections, and the data reported here demonstrate the need, in naturally FIV-infected cats, to consider the presence of amyloidosis in differential diagnosis of hepatic and renal disorders to better assess the prognosis of the disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23172696/