title: Prevalence of selected bacterial and parasitic agents in feces from diarrheic and healthy control cats from Northern California.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bacterial and parasitic agents are commonly implicated as causes of diarrhea in cats, but there is a paucity of information evaluating epidemiological and prevalence factors associated with most of these organisms in cats.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Determine the prevalence of selected enteropathogens in diarrheic and nondiarrheic cats.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 219 diarrheic and 54 nondiarrheic cats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study. Fresh fecal specimens were submitted for centrifugation flotation, culture, ELISA (Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin [CPE], and C. difficile toxin A [TcdA]) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing (Tritrichomonas foetus and Campylobacter spp.). An epidemiologic questionnaire was completed for each cat.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Campylobacter was isolated from significantly fewer diarrheic (21/219 or 9.6%) versus nondiarrheic cats (15/54 or 27.8%, P = .001), and was detected in 74 of 131 cats (56.5%) via PCR. Campylobacter jejuni, C. helveticus, and C. upsaliensis were detected in 6.8, 100, and 44.6% of the 74 cats. Multiple Campylobacter spp. were identified in 47.3% of these cats. All cats were negative on fecal culture for Salmonella and for C. difficile TcdA via ELISA. CPE was detected in 9/219 diarrheic (4.1%) and in 1/54 nondiarrheic cats (1.9%, P = .69). Cats < 2 years were significantly more likely to be infected with intestinal parasites (P < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Routine fecal cultures and toxin immunoassays for detection of bacteria are of limited diagnostic value in diarrheic cats. Molecular-based testing is superior to fecal cultures for detection and identification of Campylobacter spp., but positive test results do not correlate to the presence of disease.
authors.affiliation: Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic, Loomis, CA, USA.
authors.forename: E V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Queen
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Marks
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Farver
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D002415:Cats; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011529:Protozoan Infections, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S