Exogenous glucocorticoids alter parameters of early feline immunodeficiency virus infection

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), a lentivirus, causes progressive immunosuppression and neurologic dysfunction in cats. Glucocorticoids are common therapeutic agents that are also immunosuppressive, and their use might enhance the pathogenic effects of lentivirus infections. Methylprednisolone acetate, a long-acting glucocorticoid, was administered to cats before FIV inoculation, and the course of early infection was monitored. The humoral immune response to FIV was not affected by corticosteroid treatment, but CD8+ cell-mediated antiviral activity was poor in cultures from FIV-infected cats treated with methylprednisolone. Steroid-treated cats had higher plasma viral RNA levels than untreated cats during acute viremia. In contrast, FIV-associated changes in brain stem auditory-evoked potentials were slow to develop in the methylprednisolone-treated cats. Methylprednisolone treatment of cats with established FIV infections appeared to reverse these neurophysiologic changes. These results emphasize the complexity of host-lentivirus interactions and suggest potential advantages and drawbacks of using glucocorticoids in lentivirus infections.