Feline Immune Deficiency

Disease caused by a retrovirus that belongs to the same family that causes the feline leukemia, that produces an immune suppression by destroying the immunology system of the cat. This disease is transmitted by a bite, in difference with the leukemia virus that is transmitted by a prolonged contact.

Symptoms: As aids in the human beings, the disease of feline immune deficiency, goes through three stages.

The first stage generally is characterized by the presence of fear, the swelling of the lymphatic nodules and susceptibility by the intestinal infections and the skin. It happens 4 or 6 weeks after being exposed to the virus.

On the second stage, the immune system slowly begins to destroy itself and no clinical signs of the disease can be observed. This situation can last several years.

At the third and last stage, the immune system doesn't work right and the animal is susceptible to diverse infections that will eventually lead him to death. This usually happens when the cat is between 5 and 12 years of age.

The main clinical symptoms disturbances are oral infections, anaemia and skin infections.

Prevention: Test must be done to cast aside the disease from young cats that enter the breeding grounds. One must immediately separate infected animals. There is no vaccine against this disease, although it is very possible that they will develop one in the next few years.

Treatment: There is no treatment capable of changing the course of this disease. One can only fight against the infections that keep on appearing according to their nature.