Barr M C, Huitron-Resendiz S, Selway D R, Henriksen S J, Phillips T R
Immune Complex Corporation, San Diego, CA 92129, USA.
J Infect Dis. 2000 Feb;181(2):576-86. doi: 10.1086/315236.
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), a lentivirus, causes progressive immunosuppression and neurologic dysfunction in cats. Glucocorticoids are common therapeutic agents that are also immunosuppressive, and their use might enhance the pathogenic effects of lentivirus infections. Methylprednisolone acetate, a long-acting glucocorticoid, was administered to cats before FIV inoculation, and the course of early infection was monitored. The humoral immune response to FIV was not affected by corticosteroid treatment, but CD8+ cell-mediated antiviral activity was poor in cultures from FIV-infected cats treated with methylprednisolone. Steroid-treated cats had higher plasma viral RNA levels than untreated cats during acute viremia. In contrast, FIV-associated changes in brain stem auditory-evoked potentials were slow to develop in the methylprednisolone-treated cats. Methylprednisolone treatment of cats with established FIV infections appeared to reverse these neurophysiologic changes. These results emphasize the complexity of host-lentivirus interactions and suggest potential advantages and drawbacks of using glucocorticoids in lentivirus infections.
猫免疫缺陷病毒（FIV）是一种慢病毒，可导致猫出现进行性免疫抑制和神经功能障碍。糖皮质激素是常见的治疗药物，也具有免疫抑制作用，其使用可能会增强慢病毒感染的致病作用。在给猫接种FIV之前，先给它们注射了长效糖皮质激素醋酸甲泼尼龙，并监测早期感染过程。糖皮质激素治疗对FIV的体液免疫反应没有影响，但在用甲泼尼龙治疗的FIV感染猫的培养物中，CD8 +细胞介导的抗病毒活性较差。在急性病毒血症期间，接受类固醇治疗的猫的血浆病毒RNA水平高于未治疗的猫。相比之下，在接受甲泼尼龙治疗的猫中，FIV相关的脑干听觉诱发电位变化发展较慢。对已感染FIV的猫进行甲泼尼龙治疗似乎可以逆转这些神经生理变化。这些结果强调了宿主与慢病毒相互作用的复杂性，并提示了在慢病毒感染中使用糖皮质激素的潜在优缺点。
