Franck:
I would assume that your cats on the isolated island would most
likely still develop feline leukemia/feline AIDS and ultimately die. The
problem as extrapolated from human disease is that when the host loses
the use of the their own immune system opportunistic organsims, often
from their own flora and fauna become pathogens. I seem to remember a
_Toxoplasma_ experiment from graduate school in which normal rats were
dosed with corticosteroids and all came down with the infection even in a
suppossedly clean animal facility. Thus, unless your cats were specific
pathogen free or cleaner, even on the isolated island, they will
ultimately get sick. Thats my two cents worth.
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/\ /\//\/######/ /\/#######\ ! Stephen G. Kayes, Ph.D. !
/\/ /\//\/ /\/ /\/ ! Structural & Cellular Biology !
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On 27 Jun 1995, Franck COURCHAMP wrote:
> If a host is infected by a lentivirus, and then go living in such
> conditions that some pathogens do exist, but no specific pathogen (usual
> pathogen of this host do not exist) then, will seropositivity be longer?
> If the seropositive host is to die from a usually-inoffensive pathogen
> (non-specific), does it make a difference compared to an environment with
> specific pathogens?
> For exemple, put N seropositive cats (FIV+) in a desert island where there
> is no cat pathogen. What should be the mean life duration of these N cats?
> Thanks for your lights.
>> Franck Courchamp
>fcourch at biomserv.univ-lyon1.fr>>
