Document 0406
 DOCN  M9490406
 TI    A lion lentivirus related to feline immunodeficiency virus:
       epidemiologic and phylogenetic aspects.
 DT    9411
 AU    Brown EW; Yuhki N; Packer C; O'Brien SJ; Biological Carcinogenesis and
       Development Program, Program; Resources, Inc./DynCorp, Frederick,
       Maryland 21702-1201.
 SO    J Virol. 1994 Sep;68(9):5953-68. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE +
 AB    Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a novel lentivirus that is
       genetically homologous and functionally analogous to the human AIDS
       viruses, human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2. FIV causes
       immunosuppression in domestic cats by destroying the CD4 T-lymphocyte
       subsets in infected hosts. A serological survey of over 400 free-ranging
       African and Asian lions (Panthera leo) for antibodies to FIV revealed
       endemic lentivirus prevalence with an incidence of seropositivity as
       high as 90%. A lion lentivirus (FIV-Ple) was isolated by infection of
       lion lymphocytes in vitro. Seroconversion was documented in two
       Serengeti lions, and discordance of mother-cub serological status argues
       against maternal transmission (in favor of horizontal spread) as a major
       route of infection among lions. A phylogenetic analysis of cloned
       FIV-Ple pol gene sequences from 27 lions from four African populations
       (from the Serengeti reserve, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and Kruger
       Park) revealed remarkably high intra- and interindividual genetic
       diversity at the sequence level. Three FIV-Ple phylogenetic clusters or
       clades were resolved with phenetic, parsimony, and likelihood analytical
       procedures. The three clades, which occurred not only together in the
       same population but throughout Africa, were as divergent from each other
       as were homologous pol sequences of lentivirus isolated from distinct
       feline species, i.e., puma and domestic cat. The FIV-Ple clades,
       however, were more closely related to each other than to other feline
       lentiviruses (monophyletic for lion species), suggesting that the
       ancestors of FIV-Ple evolved in allopatric (geographically isolated)
       lion populations that converged recently. To date, there is no clear
       evidence of FIV-Ple-associated pathology, raising the possibility of a
       historic genetic accommodation of the lion lentivirus and its host
       leading to a coevolved host-parasite symbiosis (or commensalism) in the
       population similar to that hypothesized for endemic simian
       immunodeficiency virus without pathology in free-ranging African monkey
       species.
 DE    Animal  Animals, Wild  Base Sequence  Comparative Study  DNA
       Primers/CHEMISTRY  Genes, pol  Immunodeficiency Virus,
       Feline/CLASSIFICATION  Lentivirus/*CLASSIFICATION  Lentivirus
       Infections/EPIDEMIOLOGY/*VETERINARY  Lions/*MICROBIOLOGY  Molecular
       Sequence Data  Phylogeny  Sequence Alignment  Sequence Homology, Amino
       Acid  Serotyping  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).