Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Apr;12(4):355-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.jfms.2009.12.017. Epub 2010 Feb 13.

Cutaneous mycoflora and CD4:CD8 ratio of cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus

Affiliations

Cutaneous mycoflora and CD4:CD8 ratio of cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus

Archivaldo Reche Jr et al. J Feline Med Surg. 2010 Apr.

Abstract

This study was designed to compare cutaneous mycoflora isolation and CD4+:CD8+ ratio in feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)-infected cats with that in FIV-uninfected cats. Sixty cats were examined. Twenty-five were FIV-infected cats and 35 were FIV-uninfected cats. All 60 cats were FeLV-negative. Fungi were speciated and immunophenotyping of peripheral CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes was performed. At least one fungal colony was isolated from 22/25 (88%) FIV-infected cats. Among the FIV-uninfected cats fungal colonies were recovered from 13/35 (37%) specimens. Dermatophytes were recovered from 2/25 (8%) FIV-infected cats (one Microsporum gypseum, one Microsporum canis) and 3/35 (8.5%) FIV-uninfected cats (M gypseum). Malassezia species was the most commonly isolated organism from both groups of cats (51.6%). Malassezia species was more commonly isolated from FIV-infected cats than FIV-uninfected cats (84% vs 28.6%). The CD4+ to CD8+ lymphocyte ratio for FIV-infected cats was significantly lower than the CD4+ to CD8+ ratio in the FIV-uninfected cats. The CD4+ to CD8+ lymphocyte ratio for FIV-infected cats with cutaneous overall fungal isolation was significantly lower than the CD4:CD8 lymphocyte ratio in the FIV-infected cats but without cutaneous fungal isolation. We can conclude that immunologic depletion due to retroviral infection might represent a risk factor to cutaneous fungal colonization in cats.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Lang W., Perkins H., Anderson R.E., Royce R., Jewell N., Winkelstein W., Jr. Patterns of T lymphocyte changes with human immunodeficiency virus infection: from seroconversion to the development of AIDS, J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2, 1989, 63–69. - PubMed
    1. McChesney M.B., Fujinami R.S., Lerche N.W., Marx P.A., Oldstone M.B. Virus-induced immunosuppression: infection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and suppression of immunoglobulin synthesis during natural measles virus infection of rhesus monkeys, J Infect Dis 159, 1989, 757–760. - PubMed
    1. Barlough J.E., Ackley C.D., George J.W., et al. Acquired immune dysfunction in cats with experimentally induced feline immunodeficiency virus infection: comparison of short-term and long-term infections, J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 4, 1991, 219–227. - PubMed
    1. Aly R., Berger T. Common superficial fungal infections in patients with AIDS, Clin Infect Dis 22, 1996, 128–132. - PubMed
    1. Mancianti F., Giannelli C., Bendinelli M., Poli A. Mycological findings in feline immunodeficiency virus-infected cats, J Med Vet Mycol 30, 1992, 257–259. - PubMed

MeSH terms