INDUCTION OF FELINE IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME BY FELINE LEUKEMIA-VIRUS - PITUITARY AND ADRENOCORTICAL DYSFUNCTIONS

Seven young cats were injected with feline leukemia virus (FeLV); six of them became viremic. All of the viremic cats developed AIDS-related symptoms, i.e lymphopenia, neutropenia, thymic atrophy, and wasting syndrome, along with an altered pituitary and adrenocortical function. These symptoms closely resemble human AIDS induced by HIV. It was discovered that, after 2 weeks of infection, the average amount of plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) detected in the infected cats was reduced by 29% in comparison with that before the infection. In contrast to the second week, the fifth week of infection showed a 94% increase of plasma ACTH which then dropped back down to 38% after the sixth and seventh weeks. This opposing biphasic pattern of change was also observed in the plasma cortisol content of the infected cats. The amount of change in plasma cortisol did not correlate with the detected increase in plasma ACTH, indicating a weak adrenal response to pituitary action.