Vector-borne diseases in client-owned and stray cats from Madrid, Spain.
The role of various vector-borne pathogens as a cause of disease in cats has not been clearly determined. The current study evaluated risk factors, clinical and laboratory abnormalities associated with Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., Neorickettsia spp., Leishmania spp., and Bartonella spp. infection or exposure in 680 client-owned and stray cats from Madrid, Spain. Our results indicate that a large portion (35.1%) of the cat population of Madrid, Spain, is exposed to at least one of the five vector-borne pathogens tested. We found seroreactivity to Bartonella henselae in 23.8%, to Ehrlichia canis in 9.9%, to Anaplasma phagocytophilum in 8.4%, to Leishmania infantum in 3.7%, and to Neorickettsia risticii in 1% of the feline study population. About 9.9% of cats had antibody reactivity to more than one agent. L. infantum DNA was amplified from four cats (0.6%), B. henselae DNA from one cat (0.15%), and B. clarridgeiae DNA from another cat (0.15%).
Departamento de Medicina y Cirugía Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avenida Puerta de Hierro s/n, Madrid, Spain. tasainat@vet.ucm.es
Tania
T
Ayllón
Pedro Paulo V P
PP
Diniz
Edward Bealmear
EB
Breitschwerdt
Alejandra
A
Villaescusa
Fernando
F
Rodríguez-Franco
Angel
A
Sainz
D000710:Anaplasmataceae / Q000276:immunology; D000711:Anaplasmataceae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D001473:Bartonella / Q000276:immunology; D001474:Bartonella Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D002415:Cats; D004199:Disease Vectors; D005260:Female; D007891:Leishmania / Q000276:immunology; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D010067:Ownership; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan