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. 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

Archivaldo Reche Jr  1 , Alexandre G T Daniel, Telma C P Lazaro Strauss, Carlos P Taborda, Shirlei A Vieira Marques, Kátia Haipek, Lilian J Oliveira, Janaína M Monteiro, José R Kfoury Jr
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.

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