BIOLOGICAL NATURE OF FELINE IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) was first isolated in 1986 from a cat with an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-like disease. This virus has many characteristics in common with human immunodeficiency virus which is an etiological agent of AIDS in human and is classified as a member of the lentivirus genus of the retrovirus family. Since the discovery of FIV, many researchers have studied the virus extensively from clinical, biological, and genetic aspects. In this review, the biological nature of FIV is summarized in four sections, i. e., morphological and biochemical properties of FIV, biological properties of FIV, immunological aspects of FIV infection, and clinical aspects of FIV infection. This review includes some recent, unpublished data from our and other groups.