[Felvtalk] Fluid in chest cavity
Hello Everyone, I've been away from the list for a very long time, but of course we always come back when we have a baby in trouble. Hideyo called me and asked if I would contact you to help with research on how to help a friend of her's felv+ Tortie girl name Pistachio. Pistachio is two years old and before this she's had no symptoms and been very healthy and happy. For the last couple of weeks she's lost weight and recently they found out she was building up fluid in her chest cavity. They removed 100cc of fluid last Friday 13th, it was rather clear. They don't know what's causing (waiting for reports), so right now the only thing she's on is abx (I asked Hideyo which abx, and she said she couldn't remember the name, but had never heard of it before). They don't know what's causing it, but of course because she's felv+ they are just blaming that. After the fluid was removed, she returned to her happy self and began eating and acting normal. She's still okay now, but her breathing is more labored then it would be normally, (faster respiratory rate). So, here's the question... What do you wonderful experienced people usually suggest first when there is fluid build up? Are there any success stories, or does this usually mean the beginning of the end? Her friend is of course a little panicked and needs help! Hideyo had wondered about Lasix, but the vet didn't want to use it because something to do with the location of the fluid deposit (she's a little vague about exactly why). Hideyo was thinking Interferon, Imulin, some sort of diuretic herb, Rutin (sp?)... What should they do? I'm writing for Hideyo and her friend because Hideyo's can not get online until tomorrow at work. Could you please cc any response directly to Hideyo's email address until she can re-join the list? Thank you guys, bless you and your babies, Nina ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Immunity to Felv once exposed then test neg?
Jenny, I haven't heard back from my specialty vet yet. Something tells me they don't have a definitive answer, probably no one does. It was so kind of you to break down what they are saying on the website I found. You've got me thinking, if Sally tests neg on her second test, it is not worth taking any chances, no matter what. If Sally really is negative, she as a kitten, is too vulnerable to this insidious disease. It's just not worth exposing her if she can find a loving home in a negative environment. I don't know which test the rescue is planning to use for the re-test. I will strongly recommend an IFA vs another ELISA. I have no real influence here, but I'll throw my two cents in and pray for the highest good. Thank you again, Nina Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:43:01 -0700 Nina, I haven't done a recent search on the persistence of felv but judging from the quote you had in your email, I can tell you what it sounds like they think. PCR is a very senstive test for DNA or RNA. Basically you have a probe that attaches to the DNA or RNA of interest. You then amplify this region over and over again until you can detect it. Molecular (genetic) tests are somewhat new and so their interpretation is not always understood. By having a positive PCR test, the only thing that you can say is that the portion of DNA you put in a probe for is present in your sample. This DNA does not mean there is a virus present in your blood (by virus I mean a particle that has DNA or RNA that is surrounded by a capsule - this particle is infectious). It only means that the DNA is present. Viral DNA implants itself into your cat's DNA - when it is sitting there, it is not doing any damage. When it starts to proliferate, it uses your cats own cells to make more of it's particles (DNA surrounded by a capsule). It makes thousands of viral particles that then rupture the cat's cells and they go on to infect other cells. What I am trying to say is that if you can detect felv DNA or RNA - it can either be active viral particles or it can be the single strand of DNA in your cat's cells just doing nothing. felv is a retrovirus, however, so when in it's particle form it should have RNA rather than DNA. They change the RNA to DNA and then implant in your cat's cells DNA. They could potentially use this difference as a way to differentiate between viral particles and latent viral DNA in your cat's cells. I don't know if this has been looked at yet. When they talk about antigen negative, that is basically a negative snap test or IFA. Both of these tests are looking for specific antigens on the felv capsule. If it comes up positive, that mean that the test is detecting presence of the viral capsule - this means the viral particles are present. I really hope this makes sense. If it were me and the second test came back negative (are you doing a repeat snap (ELISA) or IFA - I would be more inclined to believe an IFA) my guess would be that you had an initial false positive. If this were the case, I would not mix the kitten with a felv positive until she was a year and a half and had been vaccinated (then I would consider it). Kittens are the ones that have the most difficulty with this disease and die early. To be honest, if you believe the first test, now would be the time to try and treat the cat as you may be able to clear the virus at this point - that is a very debatable statement). Kittens have an immature immune system and it has been found that felv positive kittens have thymic hypoplasia (very small thymus - thymus is responsible for making T-cells, a very important part of the immune response in this virus). It appears that the virus can actually inhibit the activity of the thymus. LTCI injections appear to attempt to halt and reverse this process. Hope this helps and good luck. God bless. Jenny ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Immunity to Felv once exposed then test neg?
Hello All, This question is for a foster kitten I know of that tested felv+. Her name is Sally and she is only 6 weeks old. Happily the rescue that Sally is with knows enough to test again and Sally is being fostered in the meantime. I'm wondering this, if Sally has tested pos once, (assuming it was a true pos), then that means she has been exposed to the disease. If she later tests neg, does that mean she would be immune to felv in the same way she would had she been vaccinated against it? The reason I ask is Sally has a potential adopter waiting for her based on her next test result. This woman already has an felv+ kitty. I'm wondering if there have been any studies done indicating a cat previously testing pos, then throwing the virus and testing neg, is less susceptible to contracting felv when exposed to known positive cats. Nina ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Immunity to Felv once exposed then test neg?
http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com/avhc/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=567324sk=date=pageID=2 http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com/avhc/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=567324sk=date=pageID=2 I did a quick search and found the above link that talks about exposure and reversion (paragraph excerpt below from 2008). I've been away from felv for a while and am not at all up to date on the research. Apparently they now suspect that once a cat is exposed and tests a true pos, (Sally may have tested false pos), then they are considered infected for life whether or not they are symptomatic. If my head weren't hurting so much I might be able to do a better job of translating their veterinary speak. It does appear that they wouldn't quantitatively know the answer to my question at this point anyway. What do you think? Ideas on possible outcomes of infection with FeLV are currently undergoing re-evaluation. In the past, it was believed that about 1/3 of cats became persistently viremic and about 2/3 would clear infection. New research using PCR technologies suggests that most cats remain infected for life following exposure to FeLV. However, they may revert to a non-viremic state that is termed regressive infection. In regressive infections, there is no antigen present in the blood and virus cannot be cultured from blood. But FeLV proviral DNA can be detected in blood using PCR (Pepin, Tandon et al. 2007). The significance of PCR-positive but antigen-negative regressive infections is not yet clear. These cats are unlikely to shed infectious virus in saliva, but may transmit proviral DNA via blood transfusion if used as a blood donor. Prior to the advent of PCR technology, the term latency was used for antigen-negative cats where virus could not be cultured from blood, but could be cultured from bone marrow or other tissues. It now appears that latency is a phase through which cats pass during regressive infection. ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Immunity to Felv once exposed then test neg?
Hi Sharyl, I'm sorry for your loss. I can relate to the heartbreak. My first experience with felv was with tiny babies too. Happily one of the 6 kittens was neg, so I got to keep my special Timmy boy with me, (he's over six yrs old and sitting on my lap as I type this). The person who is fostering Sally has no idea what has become of her Momma or her littermates. I asked that question too. I'm hoping if Sally's test was a true pos and her subsequent test is neg, she might be safe from felv in a home with another pos kitten. I called a veterinary Internist I have used and asked the question. I'll let everyone know what they have to say when they get back to me. Nina Fri, 01 Oct 2010 13:41:31 -0700 Nina, I don't want to give you any false hope. It is more likely that an adult cat will throw off the virus than a kitten. There is always a chance the test result was an error. Do you know what became of Sally's littermates. My experience with kittens is that all in the litter tested positive at 4 weeks of age and remained positive. The Momma cat was also positive. It's great that you have a home lined up for Sally if she remains positive. My four positive babies were adorable and I loved every day I had with them. Sharyl ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Double pos in TX
Hello Everyone, It's been a long time since I've been active on the list so I don't know who might be able to help this little girl. Someone forwarded me the following asking if I would post it to the list. I hope all is well with you and your babies, Nina. My name is Arthur Westbrook and I am the Operations Manager at the Humane Society of El Paso (email: awestbr...@hselpaso.org). I would like to inquire if maybe you would know of any FELV cat rescues in the Texas, New Mexico, or Arizona areas. We have a 2 year old female cat who tested positive for both FELV and FIV she is really sweet and loving, if you have any information that may help me out it would be greatly appreciated. ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
