Frequency of Piroplasms Babesia microti and Cytauxzoon felis in Stray Cats from Northern Italy

Emerging diseases caused by piroplasms pose a health risk for man and other animals, and domestic cats have been proposed as potential reservoirs for some piroplasm infections. The aim of this study was to identify the frequency of the piroplasms Babesia microti and Cytauxzoon felis in stray cats fr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BioMed research international 2014-01, Vol.2014 (2014), p.1-5
Main Authors: Spada, Eva, Proverbio, Daniela, Galluzzo, Paola, Perego, Roberta, Bagnagatti de Giorgi, Giada, Roggero, Nora, Caracappa, Santo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anaplasma phagocytophilum
Animals
Arachnids
Babesia - physiology
Babesia microti
Babesia microti - physiology
Babesiosis
Babesiosis - parasitology
Biomedical research
Blood transfusion
Care and treatment
Cat Diseases - epidemiology
Cat Diseases - parasitology
Cats
Cryptosporidium
Development and progression
Felis
Female
Infections
Italy - epidemiology
Male
Mycoplasma haemominutum
Parasites
Parasitic diseases
Patient outcomes
Piroplasmia
Population
Theileria
Zoonoses
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Summary:Emerging diseases caused by piroplasms pose a health risk for man and other animals, and domestic cats have been proposed as potential reservoirs for some piroplasm infections. The aim of this study was to identify the frequency of the piroplasms Babesia microti and Cytauxzoon felis in stray cats from northern Italy and to identify possible risk factors associated with these infections. Blood samples from 260 stray cats enrolled in a trap-neuter-release (TNR) program in northern Italy were examined with conventional PCR for the presence of Babesia microti and Cytauxzoon felis DNA. No sample (0.0%) tested positive for C. felis, whilst B. microti DNA was detected in two samples (0.8%). Both infected cats were in good clinical condition and recovered well from the neutering surgery. One of these two cats had a triple coinfection with Babesia microti, Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Evidence presented in this study indicates that the blood borne protozoans Babesia microti and Cytauxzoon felis are not widely distributed in stray cat populations in Milan, northern Italy, and that the significance of cats as a reservoir host for B. microti in this area is limited.
ISSN:2314-6133
2314-6141
DOI:10.1155/2014/943754