Prevalence of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Blastocystis, and trichomonads in domestic cats in East China

The cat is a reported reservoir for several zoonotic pathogens, including Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Blastocystis sp. These parasites represent a significant, but often neglected, threat to humans and animals. Furthermore, Tritrichomonas foetus has been described inhabiting the di...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Veterinary Medical Science 2019, Vol.81(6), pp.890-896
Main Authors: LI, Wenchao, LIU, Xinchao, GU, Youfang, LIU, Junlong, LUO, Jianxun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Blastocystis
Blastocystis sp
cat
Cats
Cryptosporidium
Cryptosporidium spp
Epidemiology
Fetuses
Gastrointestinal tract
Genotypes
Giardia duodenalis
Health risks
Infections
Parasites
Parasitology
Pathogens
Public health
Tritrichomonas foetus
Zoonoses
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Summary:The cat is a reported reservoir for several zoonotic pathogens, including Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Blastocystis sp. These parasites represent a significant, but often neglected, threat to humans and animals. Furthermore, Tritrichomonas foetus has been described inhabiting the digestive tract of cats, and may be causative agents of gastrointestinal symptoms. However, scant data are available concerning the molecular epidemiology of these parasites in domestic cats in China. This study examined fecal samples from domestic cats in Eastern China to unravel the molecular epidemiology of four protozoans. Of the 346 samples examined, 47 (13.6%) were positive for the detected pathogens, including 8 (2.3%), 5 (1.4%), 2 (0.6%), and 35 (10.1%) samples positive for Cryptosporidium spp., G. duodenalis, Blastocystis sp., and T. foetus, respectively. Co-infection with Cryptosporidium spp. and T. foetus was detected in three cats, no other mixed infections were observed. No age, sex or fecal condition predisposition was observed with any of the four pathogens. The species/assemblages/subtypes/genotypes were C. felis, Assemblage A and F, ST1, and cat genotype for Cryptosporidium spp., G. duodenalis, Blastocystis sp., and T. foetus detected in this study, respectively. The presence of zoonotic species/assemblages/subtypes/genotypes poses a threat to public health. These findings provide useful information for the design of prevention and control strategies to reduce the burden of protozoal infections in cats.
ISSN:0916-7250
1347-7439
DOI:10.1292/jvms.19-0111