title: Identification of Cytauxzoon felis infection in domestic cats from southern Illinois.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to document Cytauxzoon felis infection in domestic cats from southern Illinois.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diagnosis of cytauxzoonosis was based upon clinical signs of illness and detection of piroplasms within erythrocytes on peripheral blood smears or schizonts in internal organs consistent with Cytauxzoon infection. Additionally, genomic DNA was extracted from histologic sections of splenic tissue from two cats.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The internal transcribed spacer region-1 (ITS-1) and ITS-2 of the C felis genome were successfully sequenced, confirming infection with the organism.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sequence analysis of C felis DNA isolated from histologic lesions in two domestic cats from southern Illinois show either mixed infection or possible heterozygosity (cytosine and thymine) in ITS-2 at the position equivalent to nucleotide 76 (thymine) in the most commonly isolated C felis ITS-2 sequence. Identification of C felis infection in domestic cats from southern Illinois is a critical finding that raises awareness of this often fatal disease process in an area of the USA where, previously, the disease was only anecdotally reported.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA amy.macneill@colostate.edu.
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: MacNeill
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Barger
authors.affiliation: VCA Arboretum View Animal Hospital, Downers Grove, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Skowronski
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Saraswathi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lanka
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Carol W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Maddox
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016782:Apicomplexa / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002415:Cats / Q000097:blood / Q000469:parasitology*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D007087:Illinois; D016792:Piroplasmida / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011529:Protozoan Infections, Animal / Q000097:blood / Q000469:parasitology*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan