Adoptive Immunotherapy of Feline Leukemia Virus Infection Using Autologous Lymph Node Lymphocytes

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Abstract
Adoptive immunotherapy using autologous cells expanded ex vivo from lymph nodes was examined in cats infected with the retrovirus feline leukemia virus (FeLV). Cells were obtained from popliteal lymph nodes from 18 FeLV-antigenpositive cats without complications; a mean of 6.2 × 107 cells were obtained. Lymph node cells were cultured with 600 IU/ml interleukin-2 (IL-2) for 7 days. Cells expanded 0.8- to 11-fold (mean, 2.7; median, 2.4); were 80% ± 8.0% CD3+, 29% ±8.1% CD4+, and 41% ± 7.0% CD8+, and exhibited cytolytic activity against FeLV-transformed FL74 cells. Sixteen cats received a single intravenous infusion of 0.13 to 3.9 × 108 cells. Cell infusion was well tolerated; fever developed approximately 1 hour postinfusion. Clinical activity, antiviral activity, or both was observed in 10 cats. Nine cats had clinical responses with improvement in weight, activity, appearance, or a combination of these that began 2 to 4 weeks after cell infusion and that lasted for up to 13 or more months. FeLV antigen became undetectable in 4 cats. These results indicate that adoptive immunotherapy using autologous lymph node cells, activated and expanded ex vivo in short-term cultures with low concentrations of IL-2, can modulate the course of a retroviral infection.

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