An epidemiological survey of feline hemoplasma infection in Japan.
Hemoplasma (hemotropic mycoplasma) often causes hemolytic anemia in infected cats, especially those with immune suppression. An updated nationwide epidemiological survey of feline hemoplasmosis was conducted in Japan. Blood samples were collected from 1,770 outdoor-accessing cats from March to October 2008. The infections were molecularly detected by PCR analyses, which are able to distinguish Mycoplasma haemofelis (Mhf), `Candidatus M. haemominutum' (CMhm), and `Candidatus M. turicensis' (CMt) infections. Of the 1,770 cats, 468 cases (26.4%) revealed a single- or co-infection of feline hemoplasmas [Mhf alone, 42 cases (2.4%); CMhm alone, 280 cases (15.8%); CMt alone, 48 cases (2.7%); Mhf+CMhm, 28 cases (1.6%); Mhf+CMt, 6 cases (0.3%); CMhm+CMt, 50 cases (2.8%); Mhf+CMhm+CMt, 14 cases (0.8%)]. In addition, male gender, middle to old age, history of fight wounds, and feline immunodeficiency virus infection were shown to be risk factors for hemoplasma infection. Close attention must be paid to the acute onset of disease in feline practice because a prevalence of hemoplasma infection was detected even in clinically healthy cats.
Tanahara
Miki
M
Laboratory of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.
Miyamoto
Shotaro
S
Nishio
Takuma
T
Yoshii
Yuta
Y
Sakuma
Masato
M
Sakata
Yoshimi
Y
Nishigaki
Kazuo
K
Tsujimoto
Hajime
H
Setoguchi
Asuka
A
Endo
Yasuyuki
Y
D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002415:Cats; D005260:Female; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000145:classification*; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity