title: Experimental transmission of Cystoisospora felis-like coccidium from bobcat (Lynx rufus) to the domestic cat (Felis catus).
abstract: Cystoisospora felis is an ubiquitous coccidian of cats. The domestic cat (Felis catus) is its definitive host and several mammalian and avian species are its optional intermediate/transport hosts. Nothing is known if it is transmissible to wild felids. In the present study C. felis-like oocysts were found in two naturally infected bobcats (Lynx rufus) from Pennsylvania. To study transmission of C. felis-like parasite from bobcats to domestic cats, sporulated oocysts of C. felis-like from one bobcat were orally inoculated into interferon gamma gene knockout (KO) mice, and 56 days later tissues of KO mice were fed to two coccidian-free cats; two littermate cats were uninoculated controls. The inoculated cats and controls were euthanized five and seven days later, and their small intestines were studied histologically. One inoculated cat excreted C. felis-like oocysts seven days post inoculation (p.i.) and was immediately euthanized. Mature schizonts, mature male and female gamonts, and unsporulated oocysts were found in the lamina propria of small intestine; these stages were morphologically similar to C. felis of domestic cats. No parasites were seen in histological sections of small intestines of the remaining three cats. The experiment was terminated at seven days p.i. (minimum prepatent period for C. felis) to minimize spread of this highly infectious parasite to other cats. Although oocysts of the parasite in bobcats were morphologically similar to C. felis of domestic cats, the endogenous stages differed in their location of development. The bobcat derived parasite was located in the lamina propria of ileum whereas all endogenous stages of C. felis of domestic cats are always located in enterocytes of intestinal epithelium. Characterization of DNA isolated from C. felis-like oocysts from the donor bobcat revealed that sequences of the ITS1 region was only 87% similar to the ITS1 region of C. felis from domestic cats. These results indicate that the parasite in bobcat is likely different than C. felis of cats.
authors.affiliation: Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research service, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA. Electronic address: Jitender.dubey@ars.usda.gov.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dubey
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania 15705, USA.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Houk
authors.affiliation: Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research service, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.affiliation: Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research service, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Calero-Bernal
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science and Pathology, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, 1410 Prices Fork Road, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Humphreys
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania 15705, USA.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lindsay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D002415:Cats; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D046008:Lynx / Q000469:parasitology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D033661:Oocysts; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D011529:Protozoan Infections, Animal / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D021745:Sarcocystidae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan
keywords: Bobcat (Lynx rufus); Cystoisospora felis; Domestic cat (Felis catus); Transmission via mice