Polyprenyl Immunostimulant and the health of your cat.
Helping the body fight disease®
What is Polyprenyl Immunostimulant?
Polyprenyl Immunostimulant™ (PI, PPI) is a veterinary biologic developed exclusively for cats. A novel immunomodulatory agent, Polyprenyl Immunostimulant™ is a unique product that has no similars or analogs: no substitutes or like-products exist.
Polyprenyl Immunostimulant™ is USDA approved for FVR/FHV/Rhinotracheitis. Veterinarians, researchers, and cat guardians have successfully extended its application to other feline viral diseases, including FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis), FeLV, FIV. Shelters and breeders often use Polyprenyl Immunostimulant™ to “prime” immunity in cats and kittens.
How and why do viral diseases develop?
Viral diseases develop when a virus is using the cat’s cells to replicate. The body protects itself with a system of defenses known as immunity. Viruses evolve and adapt in various ways to avoid or eliminate barriers and break through the host’s defenses.
How the immune system works against viral diseases.
The immune system protects the body from disease. It is what gives us, and our cats, the ability to successfully fight off invaders: viruses, bacteria, parasites, etc. There are two parts to the immune system: innate immunity – the part of the immune system that serves as the body’s first line of defense – and adaptive immunity – the second, specific response against disease-causing pathogens. When the body’s normal immune response is compromised, it loses its ability to respond to the invader’s attacks. Immunomodulatory biologics are at the forefront of medical research and increasingly used to treat viral infections and inflammatory disorders.The innate immune system: the first responder.
Innate immunity is the first one to detect invaders such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, and toxins or sense wounds or trauma. Upon detecting these agents or events, the innate immune system activates cells to attack and destroy the outsider or to initiate repair, while also informing and modulating the adaptive immune response that follows this first line of defense.
The adaptive immune system: the second, specific response.
Adaptive immune cells are the second and specific line of defense, and they are called to action by the innate immune system. After recognizing the invader, the cells can multiply and combat it, leading to recovery from disease and protection against its return. Adaptive immunity is defined by the presence of lymphocytes, either T or B cells. T cells directly destroy invaders’ cells. B cells’ function is to present antigens and produce antibodies
Viral diseases and immunotherapy.
Many veterinary specialists agree that immunomodulation is imperative with viral diseases that cause massive damage to immunity. Most viral infections start and end with immunity. Immune response to viruses is a double-edged sword: one blade controls the virus, but the virus often redirects the other blade against the immune response and causes inflammation and the disease. A viral disease begins with the virus evading the immune response that controls or suppresses the virus and, by deceptively overwhelming the immunity, leads to the inflammation, the disease. The inflammation damages tissues and organs and weakens the cat. A course of antiviral drugs may affect the current, ongoing viral activity, but it does not affect the inflammation or prevent the infection from reoccurring later because they only address the effects and not the root cause. The antiviral-only approach often fails, and the cat suffers relapse and re-infection if the cat’s immunity is not restored.How can PI help my cat against viral diseases?
When a cat’s immune system is driven by the virus, it loses its ability to mount an effective innate immune response. Immunomodulatory medicines are a new, cutting-edge development designed to rebuild the damaged immunity and direct it against invading viruses. PI works by rebalancing the immunity in cats to sharpen virus control and to dull and eliminate the inflammation caused by the virus.
Polyprenyl Immunostimulant™ accomplishes what antivirals alone cannot do: balance the immune function by reducing pathological inflammation while supporting the levels needed to control the virus.
FURTHER READING ON VETIMMUNE.COM (opens in a new window)
The importance of the immune system in the treatment of viral diseases.
FURTHER READING ON VETIMMUNE.COM (opens in a new window)
Seven reasons why our furbabies need Polyprenyl Immunostimulant™.