title: Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis antigen and antibodies to Leishmania infantum in cats from southern Portugal.
abstract: Vector-borne diseases (VBD) are caused by a range of pathogens transmitted by arthropods and have emerged in recent years, showing a wider geographic distribution and increased global prevalence. In addition to their veterinary medical importance, cats play a central role in the transmission cycles of some VBD agents by acting as reservoirs, amplifying hosts or sentinels. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis antigen and of antibodies to Leishmania infantum in a sample of 271 cats from southern Portugal. Thirteen (4.8%) cats were positive to D. immitis, while antibodies to L. infantum were detected in 10 (3.7%) animals. The prevalence of D. immitis and L. infantum in the feline population from southern Portugal should alert for the need to implement control measures to protect animals and people from these zoonotic parasites. Furthermore, both parasitoses must be included in the differential diagnosis in feline clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Parasitologia Médica, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisboa, Portugal; Centro de Malária e outras Doenças Tropicais, IHMT-UNL, Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: CarlaMaia@ihmt.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maia
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Parasitologia Médica, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Cláudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Clínica Veterinária Porto Seguro, Olhão, Portugal.
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coimbra
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Veterinárias, Escola de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal; Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Oporto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Parasitologia Médica, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Lenea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Campino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000097:blood*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D002415:Cats; D004183:Dirofilaria immitis / Q000378:metabolism*; D004184:Dirofilariasis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000276:immunology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D015047:Zoonoses
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000947:Antigens, Helminth
keywords: Cat; Dirofilaria immitis; Leishmania infantum; Portugal; Prevalence