title: Survey of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum, haemotropic mycoplasmas and other arthropod-borne pathogens in cats from Albania.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Albania is a country on the western part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Mediterranean climate is favourable for the stable development of many arthropod species, which are incriminated as vectors for various agents. Recently, several papers have reported on epidemiological aspects of parasitic diseases including vector-borne disease agents of dogs with zoonotic characteristics in Albania. However, data on the epidemiology of feline parasitic and bacterial agents in Albania is scarce.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum and EDTA-blood samples collected from 146 domestic cats from Tirana during 2008 through 2010 were examined for exposure to Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, Leishmania infantum, and Anaplasma spp. with IFAT, for infection with L. infantum, A. phagocytophilum, Bartonella spp. and haemotropic mycoplasmas with conventional PCR and real-time PCR and for Dirofilaria immitis with antigen ELISA. Additionally blood smear microscopy was carried out for detection of blood-borne pathogens.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Antibodies to T. gondii (titre ≥1:100) were demonstrated in 91 cats (62.3%). Antibodies to N. caninum (titre ≥1:100), L. infantum (titre ≥1:64) and Anaplasma spp. (titre ≥1:100) were found in the serum of 15 (10.3%), 1 (0.7%) or 3 (2.1%) cats, respectively. DNA of haemotropic mycoplasmas was detected in the blood of 45 cats (30.8%), namely Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum (21.9%), Mycoplasma haemofelis (10.3%), and Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis (5.5%), with ten cats harbouring co-infections of two mycoplasmas each; blood from one cat was PCR positive for Bartonella henselae. No DNA of Leishmania spp. and A. phagocytophilum or circulating D. immitis antigen was detected in any cat sample. The overall prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas was significantly higher in male compared to female cats (40.6% vs. 24.1%, p = 0.0444); and age was associated positively with the prevalence of antibodies to T. gondii (p = 0.0008) and the percentage of haemotropic mycoplasma infection (p = 0.0454).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With the broad screening panel including direct and indirect methods applied in the present study, a wide spectrum of exposure to or infection with parasitic or bacterial agents was detected.
authors: Chair of Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Leopoldstraße 5, 80802 Munich, Germany. cornelia.silaghi@tropa.vetmed.uni-muenchen.de.
authors: Cornelia
authors: C
authors: Silaghi
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Knaus
authors: Dhimiter
authors: D
authors: Rapti
authors: Ilir
authors: I
authors: Kusi
authors: Enstela
authors: E
authors: Shukullari
authors: Dietmar
authors: D
authors: Hamel
authors: Kurt
authors: K
authors: Pfister
authors: Steffen
authors: S
authors: Rehbein
mesh_terms: D000415:Albania / Q000453:epidemiology; D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D002415:Cats; D060085:Coinfection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018688:Neospora / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012703:Serotyping; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*