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Thursday, August 6,1987/The Battalion/Page 3
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State and Local
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eseorchers discover new virus
n cats related to human AIDS
: xpert: No evidence shows disease will transmit to people
By Kirsten Dietz
Senior Staff Writer
While a virus recently discovered
in cats is similar to the AIDS virus in
humans, there is no evidence that
the disease can be transmitted to hu
mans, says the head of small animal
medicine and surgery at Texas
A&M.
Dr. John August says the virus
was First reported in February, al
though researchers have known
since 1982 that a virus similar to
AIDS existed. But the disease proba
bly has been around longer than
that, he says. The AIDS-like virus
was discovered by Dr. Niels D. Pe
dersen of the University of Califor
nia at Davis.
The new virus is in the same fam
ily of viruses as the feline leukemia
virus, which August says was discov
ered about 20 years ago. A vaccine
was discovered for this virus about
| two years ago.
while the feline leukemia
| causes an illness in cats similar to
AIDS, the illness was not as similar
to AIDS as this new virus.
Other animals, such as dogs,
could have diseases similar to these
that have not been discovered, Au
gust says.
“Cats as a species are not any
more susceptible to infectious dis
eases than other species, but what
we’ve done to them in the way of
keeping them means we make them
more prone to infectious diseases,”
he says.
When left alone, he says, cats tend
to be solitary animals, which would
make the opportunity for the trans-
ission of diseases low.
“But we as pet owners have put
cats in a lot of unusual surroun
dings,” August says. “Infectious dis
eases suddenly become magnified
when large numbers of cats are
crowded together in a house. That’s
where these kinds of diseases, like
the new feline AIDS virus and the
But, because the immune system
is damaged, these infections can be
deadly. August says the main differ
ences in human and cat AIDS is the
damage caused to the immune sys
tem, but the basic mechanisms ap
pear to be similar.
Scientists also haven’t determined
“The interesting thing about the feline AIDS virus is
that it seems to damage the immune system of the in
fected cat in a similar fashion to the damage caused in
human AIDS. ”
— Dr. John August, head of small animal medicine
and surgery at Texas A&M
But, August says,
virus
feline leukemia virus, become most
noticeable, when people have large
numbers of cats that mix together
very closely.”
August says it isn’t definitely
known how widespread this virus is
in cats, although surveys indicate it
may be quite extensive. Also, while it
hasn’t been determined how impor
tant the virus is as a cause of death,
he says he thinks it eventually will be
an important cause of illness.
“The interesting thing about the
feline AIDS virus is that it seems to
damage the immune system of the
infected cat in a similar fashion to
the damage caused in human
AIDS,” August says. “Therefore, the
infected cat seems to show the same
clinical signs, which are usually op
portunistic infections. Those are in
fections that normal people are able
to resist from organisms — bacteria
or viruses that we encounter every
day.”
exactly how the AIDS virus is trans
mitted among cats. It is known the
feline leukemia virus is transferred
by infected saliva, August says. He
says the new virus is probably also
transmitted this way, through
grooming and wounds from fight
ing. It also might be transmitted to
kittens through infected milk, he
says.
However, he stresses, most cats
that come in contact with infected
cats probably don’t get infected.
Most probably develop a resistance
to the virus and get rid of it, he says.
Only those that are chronically in
fected and suffer damage to the im
mune system probably will die be
cause they are susceptible to a wide
variety of opportunistic infections,
August says.
He says cat owners can protect
their pets from the new virus by not
letting them mix with strange cats or
with cats that are sick with unknown
diseases.
“Common-sense measures will
help decrease the exposure,” he
says.
Cats with the new virus are being
used to study human AIDS and to
find a cure for the animals, he says.
It’s unlikely that cats will replace
monkeys as models in AIDS re
search, but they will be an additional
model, he says.
The new virus is being studied in
a few places around the country, Au
gust says, but not at A&M.
Only one or two places in the
United States are testing cats for the
virus, he says.
The test is similar to the confirma
tion test for human AIDS, but is too
complicated to be done at a local lab
oratory or veterinarian’s office, he
says.
“Until veterinarians can test con
veniently for this particular virus
and until we know its true impor
tance, it makes sense to inform the
public to its presence but not nec
essarily about how to control it,” he
says.
Right now, the feline leukemia vi
rus is more widespread and more
important, August says. In fact, most
cats with AIDS-like signs really are
infected with the feline leukemia vi
rus.
“We still have a long way to go to
educate the public about that,” he
says. “We shouldn’t be distracted by
the new virus — we should continue
to educate the public about the fe
line leukemia virus. In fact, many of
the things you can do to protect your
cat from the feline leukemia virus
are the same things you can do to
protect your cat from the new virus.”
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Illegal alien
sliced in half
by train wheels
ENCINAL (AP) — A Mexican
man was cut in half when a train
rolled over him Wednesday while
he was hiding from a Border Pa
trol raid, an official said.
Adolfo Olivares of Ciudad
Mante, Tamaulipas, went under a
parked train in this city 40 miles
north of Laredo when Border Pa
trol agents began to check it at
5:20 a.m. Wednesday, said Oscar
Martinez, Border Patrol intelli
gence officer in Laredo.
“What happens when the train
is checked is the aliens scramble
everywhere,” Martinez said. “He
dove underneath a piggyback car.
He apparently dove right next to
the wheels and at the same time,
the train started moving.
“According to the report, he
was cut in half.”
No age was available for Oli
vares, who was not carrying iden
tification, said Martinez, adding
that a man traveling with Olivares
provided the man’s name.
The intelligence officer said
five aliens have died in train inci
dents near Laredo in less than
two weeks.
Clements signs bill cutting
needed teacher appraisals
AUSTIN (AP) — A bill that
would reduce the number of re
quired performance appraisals for
many Texas teachers was signed
into law Wednesday by Gov. Bill
Clements.
Teachers who have climbed to
higher levels of the career ladder
and who have been evaluated as
“satisfactory” in the past would
only be required to be appraised
once a year.
Teachers who are on probation
or who are on the first level of the
career ladder would have to be ap
praised twice each year, according
to the bill.
Clements said the bill would al
low teachers “to do what they do
best — teach our children.”
“It benefits principals and ad
ministrators by reducing paper
work and unties the hands of our
local school officials,” the gover
nor said.
The governor signed another
bill on Wednesday that would au
thorize the videotaping of testi
mony of child victims of assault
and sexual abuse under certain
circumstances.
The old law was struck down by
the Texas Court of Criminal Ap
peals.
The bill also would allow courts
in the state to require a person who
has been indicted for sexual as
sault to be tested for AIDS.
AIDS, or acquired immunity de
ficiency syndrome, is a fatal dis-
“It (the law) benefits
principals and adminis
trators by reducing pa
perwork and unties the
hands of our local school
officials. ”
— Gov. Bill Clements
ease that is spread through the
transfer of bodily fluids.
In all, Clements signed a total of
24 bills Wednesday, all of which
were passed during the recently
concluded special legislative ses-
A few more of the measures —
plus the 1988-89 state budget
drawn up by the Legislature in a
special session —still await his sig
nature or veto.
The governor’s executive assis
tant, George Bayoud, said Clem
ents should finish his review of the
$38.3 billion state budget by
Thursday.
In handling that bill, the gover
nor has authority to veto individ
ual appropriations made by the
Legislature.
Aides in Clements’ office said
they expected him to exercise that
power.
Also Wednesday, Clements
signed a bill that would allow out-
of-state students to pay in-state tu
ition rates.
The lower tuition rates would
apply only to those highly qualified
students who seek entrance into
certain graduate programs at state
universities.
Clements had vetoed the mea
sure after the regular session, but
later said that his rejection of the
bill was the result of a misunder
standing.
The governor also signed into
law a bill allowing some cities and
counties to issue bonds to build
jails.
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In the Heart of the
Brazos Valley
/ 37,000 students
/ 9,300 faculty/staff
/ Only 30^ a word
/ Free at 28 locations
The Battalion
Reed McDonald Building
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas 77843
(409) 845-2611
World’s Largest Mid-Season Bicycling Sale!
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You’ll find the deepest discounts we’ve
ever offered on first-guality brand-name
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Three Days Only: August 7, 8, 9
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FRIDAY
AUGUST?
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ATURDAY AUGUST 8
10 a.m.-7p.m.
SUNDAY
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11 a.m.-4 p.m.