Re: [Felvtalk] Staph Protein A
Hi Hebert, Do you mind if I forward this info to my vet so she can give me her opinion on Staph Protein A? Thanks Amy --- On Sat, 8/8/09, hebert ferrarezzi hferrare...@hotmail.com wrote: From: hebert ferrarezzi hferrare...@hotmail.com Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Staph Protein A To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Saturday, August 8, 2009, 9:58 PM Dear Gary I have used Staphoccocal Protein-A, from Sigma Aldrich: Product: P6031 - 1MG, Protein A from Staphylococcus aureus; Soluble, essentially salt-free, lyophilized powder; or Product: P3838 - 1MG, Protein A from Staphylococcus aureus; Soluble, Cowan Strain, essentially salt-free, lyophilized powder. http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/etc/medialib/docs/Sigma/productinformationsheet2/p3838pis.Par.0001.File.tmp/p3838pis.pdf It is important to note that transgenic Protein A expressed in Escherichia colli, although having the same immunoglobulin binding properties, does not have the same superantigenic properties as the native one. The difference may be due to a bit of contamination with other superantigens from Staphlococcus aureus (perhaps with staph entherotoxin-A during product extraction and purification). So the transgenic version does not serve to our intent. This product is currently used as a chemical reagent, and not as a medication (except in experimental studies). You have to register before buying and affiliation to some university or research institute is wanted (maybe you can get an aid from another person). Although I am a researcher, I was not made any experiment with my FelV+ cats, so I cannot be sure if apparently hopeful outcomes were not merely by chance. I just think the subject merits more attention, considering the earlier surprising results obtained by scientists. I am also aware of a subsequent statistically controlled study carried on by Vet-researchers found no significant difference from the placebo group. But I am also aware that unknown variables, then unsuspected (such a little bit of contamination mentioned above, certainly a trait neither standard nor regularly desired by the fabricants), can account for different results obtained by different researchers in different circumstances. By the way, tree of my four FelV+ cats have already gone (crossed the bridge as you say), Pupa and Mãe victims of lymphoma, and Porchops due an idiopathic cystitis (apparently not felv-related). All the four got considerable improvement in most blood counts during and after treatment and never suffered from FelV-related opportunistic infections. Jorge, the one that remains in this world, is doing very fine, thanks, being asymptomatic up to now. Early experiments using protein A have reported that 28% of the cats respond positively to the treatment. I think the attempt was not deceiving yet. Best wishes for you all. Hebert From: gcru...@centurytel.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Fri, 7 Aug 2009 16:17:53 -0500 Subject: [Felvtalk] Staph Protein A Has anyone on the list ever used Staph Protein A for treatment of FeLV cats? If so, where did you get it? I just talked with two of the manufacturers that are listed on the Felineleukemia.org site and both said they could not sell it except to a research facility. They said if a vet wanted it, he would have to be doing a research study and his application for it would be reviewed by the company to see if they though he met their criteria. They would not sell it simply for treatment use. I will keep looking, but it seems a shame that something with all the promise of Staph Protein A (and a LOT cheaper than LTCI) can't be purchased to save kitties. Gary ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _ Novo Internet Explorer 8. Baixe agora, é grátis! http://brasil.microsoft.com.br/IE8/mergulhe/?utm_source=MSN%3BHotmailutm_medium=Taglineutm_campaign=IE8 ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Research into FeLV: was Staph Protein A
wow, hebert, thank you for these great posts! (and your english is better than many who claim to be native speakers.) i have always been under the impression, tho, that FIV, not FeLV, was considered by researchers to be more analogous to HIV/AIDS (an early hypothesis which i believe has been adequately disproven), even tho it appears to those of us who aren't scientists but have done the best reading they can that FeLV is much closer in manner of transmission, manifestation, and course. gary, have pedersen or levy done any work with this? they're the two folks, off-hand, that i can think of who have consistently continued actually researching FeLV--susan little, as well, seems to have been fairly on top of what research is going on. might they know about any researchers currently working on this? i remember when i first got involved with FeLV, from living at a sanctuary, and i was asking why no one was doing safe, minimally invasive research on the three main populations of FeLVs in the countries, at that time Best Friends, us, and Angel Wings (in terms of population size)--i was told then that answering the questions that folks on this list and others were already asking would probably require catching the interest of a drug company, as private or academic researchers wouldn't likely have the funding. (back to my usual comment about how difficult it is to do research on a population that is regularly treated by immediate euthanasia.) i'm not sure how many folks here really realize that a great deal of research on genetic conditions in cats could not have come about without the involvement--and fundraising--on the part of breeders, determined to eradicate killers in their own breeds (HCM in maine coons and bengals immediately comes to mind.) FeLV owners aren't as identifiable an entity as cattery owners, and while their emotional investment is just as great, i'm not sure how to mobilize us to perhaps do the same for this illness. -- Spay Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference MaryChristine Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (www.purebredcats.org) Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team) ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Research into FeLV: was Staph Protein A
I've read this too, MC, that FELV is considered a closer analogy to HIV... Gloria On Aug 10, 2009, at 10:07 AM, MaryChristine wrote: wow, hebert, thank you for these great posts! (and your english is better than many who claim to be native speakers.) i have always been under the impression, tho, that FIV, not FeLV, was considered by researchers to be more analogous to HIV/AIDS (an early hypothesis which i believe has been adequately disproven), even tho it appears to those of us who aren't scientists but have done the best reading they can that FeLV is much closer in manner of transmission, manifestation, and course. gary, have pedersen or levy done any work with this? they're the two folks, off-hand, that i can think of who have consistently continued actually researching FeLV--susan little, as well, seems to have been fairly on top of what research is going on. might they know about any researchers currently working on this? i remember when i first got involved with FeLV, from living at a sanctuary, and i was asking why no one was doing safe, minimally invasive research on the three main populations of FeLVs in the countries, at that time Best Friends, us, and Angel Wings (in terms of population size)--i was told then that answering the questions that folks on this list and others were already asking would probably require catching the interest of a drug company, as private or academic researchers wouldn't likely have the funding. (back to my usual comment about how difficult it is to do research on a population that is regularly treated by immediate euthanasia.) i'm not sure how many folks here really realize that a great deal of research on genetic conditions in cats could not have come about without the involvement--and fundraising--on the part of breeders, determined to eradicate killers in their own breeds (HCM in maine coons and bengals immediately comes to mind.) FeLV owners aren't as identifiable an entity as cattery owners, and while their emotional investment is just as great, i'm not sure how to mobilize us to perhaps do the same for this illness. -- Spay Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference MaryChristine Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (www.purebredcats.org ) Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team) ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] More Hemobart
additionally, hemobart seems to be regional, so if it's not common in your area, vets may not have been regularly testing for it over time. as mentioned, it's hard to diagnose (more accurately, doesn't always show up in each blood test, i guess you'd say), newer testing methods are probably picking up cases thay used to be missed, and in many parts of the country, it's still not considered an absolute to-rule-out possibility. On Sun, Aug 9, 2009 at 1:46 AM, gary gcru...@centurytel.net wrote: Hemobart is around quite a bit, but many times it doesn't show on the test even if there are symptoms, because the number of parasites in the blood varies and are sometimes not detected. Hemobart cannot be cured, a good immune system or enough doxy will make it go and hide and do no harm, but it is still there and a drop in the immune system with stress, trauma or illness can bring it out. If in doubt, I would just treat him for it anyway. Gary -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Amy Sent: Saturday, August 08, 2009 9:12 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] More Hemobart Ok, so I took my FIV+ cat in for her check up and her HCT was 29%, low for her and the same as Wolfie's was a month ago. We checked her for hemobart and she has also come back positive for the same organism as Wolfie, M. haemominutum. I have never had fleas in my home that I'm aware of. All my cats go every 6 months for full check-ups. I'm going to take my other 2 in next week to get checked but am wondering if anybody else has tested for hemobart. I read somewhere that leuk positive cats are predisposed to testing positive for this. I've also read it's not contagious so I'm stunned by the fact that cats from different locations, brought in at different times, have this. I'm hoping that this may be the cause of Wolfie's anemia/weight loss now that I see Sierra's HCT is possibly being affected by it as well. Fingers crossed that I'm dealing with anemia due to this and not nonregenerative anemia. My vet says hemobart is not that common so I'm curious how many others have come across it in. All my cats have had numerous blood smears done (every 6 months for the past 5-6 years) and have never shown any sign of hemobart. Amy ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org -- Spay Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference MaryChristine Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (www.purebredcats.org) Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team) ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Staph Protein A
It won't matter much if we can't figure out how to get some. Anybody out there with a biological research company who would be willing to buy us some Staph Protein A for the research on our kitties? Gary -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Amy Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 9:54 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Staph Protein A Hi Hebert, Do you mind if I forward this info to my vet so she can give me her opinion on Staph Protein A? Thanks Amy ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Research into FeLV: was Staph Protein A
I haven't heard that anyone is presently doing any research on felines with Staph Protein A. What would really be frustrating would be to find someone to do it and have great success and then not be able to get Staph Protein A because it is not authorized as a drug or treatment for anything. Maybe we could get the USDA to give a provisional license like LTCI has if we can get someone to do a research project. As you know, LTCI did not have a LOT of data when they got the license for that. Gary -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of MaryChristine Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 10:08 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] Research into FeLV: was Staph Protein A wow, hebert, thank you for these great posts! (and your english is better than many who claim to be native speakers.) i have always been under the impression, tho, that FIV, not FeLV, was considered by researchers to be more analogous to HIV/AIDS (an early hypothesis which i believe has been adequately disproven), even tho it appears to those of us who aren't scientists but have done the best reading they can that FeLV is much closer in manner of transmission, manifestation, and course. gary, have pedersen or levy done any work with this? they're the two folks, off-hand, that i can think of who have consistently continued actually researching FeLV--susan little, as well, seems to have been fairly on top of what research is going on. might they know about any researchers currently working on this? i remember when i first got involved with FeLV, from living at a sanctuary, and i was asking why no one was doing safe, minimally invasive research on the three main populations of FeLVs in the countries, at that time Best Friends, us, and Angel Wings (in terms of population size)--i was told then that answering the questions that folks on this list and others were already asking would probably require catching the interest of a drug company, as private or academic researchers wouldn't likely have the funding. (back to my usual comment about how difficult it is to do research on a population that is regularly treated by immediate euthanasia.) i'm not sure how many folks here really realize that a great deal of research on genetic conditions in cats could not have come about without the involvement--and fundraising--on the part of breeders, determined to eradicate killers in their own breeds (HCM in maine coons and bengals immediately comes to mind.) FeLV owners aren't as identifiable an entity as cattery owners, and while their emotional investment is just as great, i'm not sure how to mobilize us to perhaps do the same for this illness. ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Staph Protein A
Oh, my mistake. I thought I read that he got some from Sigma Aldrich. I'll have to go back and read more. Amy --- On Mon, 8/10/09, gary gcru...@centurytel.net wrote: From: gary gcru...@centurytel.net Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Staph Protein A To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Monday, August 10, 2009, 1:07 PM It won't matter much if we can't figure out how to get some. Anybody out there with a biological research company who would be willing to buy us some Staph Protein A for the research on our kitties? Gary -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Amy Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 9:54 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Staph Protein A Hi Hebert, Do you mind if I forward this info to my vet so she can give me her opinion on Staph Protein A? Thanks Amy ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Staph Protein A
He did, but I believe he also said he was a researcher. I spoke to them the other day and they said they only sell to researchers as Staph Protein A is not authorized for any kind of treatment or other use with animals. Gary -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Amy Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 12:55 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Staph Protein A Oh, my mistake. I thought I read that he got some from Sigma Aldrich. I'll have to go back and read more. Amy --- On Mon, 8/10/09, gary gcru...@centurytel.net wrote: From: gary gcru...@centurytel.net Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Staph Protein A To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Monday, August 10, 2009, 1:07 PM It won't matter much if we can't figure out how to get some. Anybody out there with a biological research company who would be willing to buy us some Staph Protein A for the research on our kitties? Gary -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Amy Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 9:54 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Staph Protein A Hi Hebert, Do you mind if I forward this info to my vet so she can give me her opinion on Staph Protein A? Thanks Amy ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Research into FeLV: was Staph Protein A
On Mon, Aug 10, 2009 at 1:22 PM, gary gcru...@centurytel.net wrote: I haven't heard that anyone is presently doing any research on felines with Staph Protein A. What would really be frustrating would be to find someone to do it and have great success and then not be able to get Staph Protein A because it is not authorized as a drug or treatment for anything. Maybe we could get the USDA to give a provisional license like LTCI has if we can get someone to do a research project. As you know, LTCI did not have a LOT of data when they got the license for that. Gary -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of MaryChristine Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 10:08 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] Research into FeLV: was Staph Protein A wow, hebert, thank you for these great posts! (and your english is better than many who claim to be native speakers.) i have always been under the impression, tho, that FIV, not FeLV, was considered by researchers to be more analogous to HIV/AIDS (an early hypothesis which i believe has been adequately disproven), even tho it appears to those of us who aren't scientists but have done the best reading they can that FeLV is much closer in manner of transmission, manifestation, and course. gary, have pedersen or levy done any work with this? they're the two folks, off-hand, that i can think of who have consistently continued actually researching FeLV--susan little, as well, seems to have been fairly on top of what research is going on. might they know about any researchers currently working on this? i remember when i first got involved with FeLV, from living at a sanctuary, and i was asking why no one was doing safe, minimally invasive research on the three main populations of FeLVs in the countries, at that time Best Friends, us, and Angel Wings (in terms of population size)--i was told then that answering the questions that folks on this list and others were already asking would probably require catching the interest of a drug company, as private or academic researchers wouldn't likely have the funding. (back to my usual comment about how difficult it is to do research on a population that is regularly treated by immediate euthanasia.) i'm not sure how many folks here really realize that a great deal of research on genetic conditions in cats could not have come about without the involvement--and fundraising--on the part of breeders, determined to eradicate killers in their own breeds (HCM in maine coons and bengals immediately comes to mind.) FeLV owners aren't as identifiable an entity as cattery owners, and while their emotional investment is just as great, i'm not sure how to mobilize us to perhaps do the same for this illness. ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org -- Spay Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference MaryChristine Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (www.purebredcats.org) Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team) ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
