蜱传疾病(TBD)是由人类和兽医关注的病原体引起的,代表了世界范围内的主要公共卫生问题。尽管猫医学在最近几十年取得了很大进展,关于猫科动物TBD(FeTBD)的数据仍然很少。因此,这项研究旨在评估尖丛寄生虫感染的患病率,地中海盆地国家家养猫科动物种群的相关危险因素和临床血液学异常。来自居住在法国的猫(n=600)的血液和血清样本,希腊,以色列,意大利,葡萄牙和西班牙与动物数据一起收集(即,年龄,性别,品种,住房条件和地理来源),临床体征和实验室血液检查参数。猫根据它们的年龄被分组为小猫(长达一年),年轻(一至六年),成熟(7至10岁)和资深(10岁以上)。对血液样本进行了肝虫属物种测试。并通过常规PCR靶向18SrRNA基因。肝菌属的总体患病率。感染率为14.5%,来自希腊(30%)和葡萄牙(23%)的猫明显更高,其次是西班牙(15%)以色列(15%)和法国(4%)。来自意大利的猫得分为负。在86只动物中发现了肝细胞动物,具有三种不同的序列类型,并且在来自葡萄牙的一只庇护所猫中检测到H.silvestris。没有扩增质粒DNA。肝菌属的风险。感染与猫科动物的地理起源有关,住房条件和年龄。没有任何临床体征的统计相关性报告,而丙氨酸转氨酶(ALT)活性增加是唯一与感染显着相关的实验室异常(p=0.03)。数据表明H.felis的高循环,只有偶尔的H.silvestris,在地中海盆地的家养猫科动物种群中,主要在庇护所或自由漫游以及无症状或亚临床感染的幼猫中。
Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are caused by pathogens of human and veterinary concern representing a major public health issue worldwide. Although feline medicine has progressed much in the recent decades, data on feline TBDs (FeTBDs) remain scant. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of apicomplexan parasite infections, associated risk factors and clinical-hematological abnormalities in domestic feline populations from countries of the Mediterranean basin. Blood and serum samples from cats (n = 600) living in France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Portugal and Spain were collected along with animal data (i.e., age, sex, breed, housing conditions and geographical origin), clinical signs and laboratory blood test parameters. Cats were grouped according to their age as kitten (up to one year), young (between one and six years), mature (between seven and ten years) and senior (older than ten years). Blood samples were tested for Hepatozoon spp. and piroplasmids by conventional PCR targeting 18S rRNA gene. The overall prevalence of Hepatozoon spp. infection was 14.5%, being significantly higher in cats from Greece (30%) and Portugal (23%), followed by Spain (15%), Israel (15%) and France (4%). Cats from Italy scored negative. Hepatozoon felis was identified in 86 animals, with three different sequence types and H. silvestris was detected in one shelter cat from Portugal. No piroplasmid DNA was amplified. The risk of Hepatozoon spp. infection was related to feline geographical provenience, housing condition and age. No statistical correlation was reported with any clinical signs, while increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity was the only laboratory abnormality significantly associated (p = 0.03) with the infection. Data suggest a high circulation of H. felis, and only occasionally of H. silvestris, within domestic feline populations in the Mediterranean basin, mainly in shelter or free roaming and young cats with asymptomatic or subclinical infection.