RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Age-related dementia has been documented in domestic cats; however, its interaction with naturally occurring feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection has been investigated minimally. METHODS: Visuospatial working memory (VSWM) and problem-solving (PS) ability were evaluated in FIV-infected (n = 37) and control cats (n = 39) using two cognitive tasks tested serially, which assessed the ability of cats to remember the location of a baited container after a set delay, then evaluated the capability of the cats to manipulate the container to obtain the food within a time limit. Cats were categorized using 7 years of age as a cut-off to determine age-related differences. The relationship between cognitive performance and FIV viral load was investigated using real-time PCR cycle threshold (Ct ) values. RESULTS: Age significantly affected VSWM and PS ability. Younger cats had better VSWM performance and PS ability compared to older cats with the same FIV status. There was no difference between younger FIV-positive and negative cats in either part of the task. While older FIV-positive cats had significantly worse VSWM than older FIV-negative cats, no differences were found in PS ability. Additionally, Ct values predicted VSWM but not PS ability. CONCLUSION: Age-related cognitive impairments and FIV infection appear synergetic, causing greater cognitive deficits in older FIV-infected cats.
Assuntos
Doenças do Gato , Disfunção Cognitiva , Síndrome de Imunodeficiência Adquirida Felina , Vírus da Imunodeficiência Felina , Infecções por Lentivirus , Animais , Gatos , Síndrome de Imunodeficiência Adquirida Felina/complicações , Infecções por Lentivirus/complicações , Infecções por Lentivirus/veterinária , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase em Tempo Real/veterináriaRESUMO
A study was undertaken to determine the possible interaction between aggressive behavior and Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) disease progression based on semiquantitative viral load levels and health status in naturally FIVinfected cats. FIV status was determined in ninetysix owned and stray cats, using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Aggressive tendencies were assessed based on observation and the cats' demeanor as determined by the owners and shelter caretakers. Results showed that fortyseven cats (49%) were PCRpositive for FIV infection and all aggressive cats were FIVpositive (100%). FIV infection was significantly linked to extreme aggressive tendencies and the extremely aggressive FIVinfected cats were more likely to have an unhealthy status compared to the nonaggressive individuals (p = 0.022). There was also a significant difference (p = 0.012) in the mean Cycle threshold (Ct) values between the aggressive and nonaggressive FIVinfected cats and also between the unhealthy FIVinfected cats with extreme aggressive tendencies and the healthy FIVinfected individuals without aggression (p = 0.001). Accordingly, results indicated that parameters associated with FIV disease progression are directly linked to aggression. The possible impact of FIV on the behavioral pattern of naturally infected cats should not be underestimated. However, there is an urgent need to conduct more experiments to support the assumptions about the possible exacerbation of aggression tendencies in naturally FIVinfected cats following the direct effect of FIV through the course of the infection.