Neuronal loss in FIV-MD infected cats.

Previously, this laboratory has shown that the Maryland strain of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV-MD) causes neurological disease in cats similar to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in people. Using morphometrical methods on neocortical histologic sections we now show a significant loss of neurons in FIV-MD infected cats compared to age-matched uninfected controls. The neuronal populations affected resembles those lost in HIV-1 infection of the brain in published reports, providing further evidence for the utility of FIV-MD infection as a model for HIV-1 infections of the brain.