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Like people, domestic cats can become infected with an immunodeficiency virus similar to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS in people. And as with HIV, a vaccine for the feline immunodeficiency virus, or FIV, has proved elusive. But University of Florida researchers say they’ve made a surprise discovery. Cats vaccinated with an experimental strain of the human aids virus appear to be as well protected from the FIV virus as cats immunized with the major vaccine currently used by veterinarians. The study’s findings indicate that cats with FIV could be prevented more effectively with a vaccine that borrows core protein from the human version of the disease.

Dr. Janet Yamamoto / UF veterinary researcher

“This is the first time to demonstrate that an HIV vaccine can protect cats against FIV---this is extremely important because now we know that there are regions on the HIV vaccine that can be used as a vaccine for cats and potentially for humans.”

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Although researchers were surprised that a human core protein crossed over and worked in a cat vaccine, the leap is not unheard of: the smallpox vaccine for humans, for instance, is made from cowpox virus. Experts say FIV is a natural infection most often passed from feral cats to domestic “outdoor cats” during territorial fighting and about seven percent of domestic cats in the U-S brought to the vet for an unexplained illness are later diagnosed with FIV. Scientists say this work could one day lead to a better treatment for people with HIV.

Dr. Janet Yamamoto / UF veterinary researcher

“We’re saying that we could now identify regions on HIV using the cat model to identify what may be important for vaccines for humans.”

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At the University of Florida Health Science Center, I’m Mike Garrison