Altered cell tropism and cytopathicity of feline immunodeficiency viruses in two different feline CD4-positive, CD8-negative cell lines.

Two interleukin-2-dependent feline CD4-positive and CD8-negative cell lines, MYA-1 and the newly established FeL-039, were used as host cells for infection with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). All FIV strains used, the Petaluma strain and several new isolates, were highly cytopathic to MYA-1. In contrast, the kinetics of FIV replication in FeL-039 differed greatly depending on the strain tested, i.e., noninfectious strain, highly cytopathic strain, and less cytopathic strain producing a persistent state for a long period. It appears, therefore, that cell tropism for FIV differed with each FIV strain tested even in T-cell lines showing similar cell surface phenotypes. Cytopathicity of FIV is evidently due to both the FIV strain and the host T cell.