Decreased mitogen responsiveness and elevated tumor necrosis factor production in cats shortly after feline immunodeficiency virus infection.

We present the results of an investigation into the effects of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection on the response to mitogens and cytokine production in the first month of infection. We were able to demonstrate a depression of response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to the mitogens concanavalin A, phytohaemagglutinin and pokeweed mitogen, with the response to pokeweed mitogen being most severely affected. The response of the cells of the spleen were affected by 10 days post infection and these could not be augmented by the addition of exogenous interleukin-2 (IL-2). The response of mesenteric lymph node cells was not affected until 20 days post infection and this could be partially restored by the addition of exogenous IL-2. IL-2 production was unaffected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, slightly depressed in mesenteric lymph node cells and slightly elevated in spleen cells. Tumor necrosis factor levels were significantly elevated with respect to controls within 10 days of infection. These studies suggest that there are a number of changes in the immune response of FIV infected cats early in infection and this may determine the subsequent outcome of the infection.