Introduction and objectives. Chlamydia (C.) felis can cause infection which may be associated with conjunctivitis and/or respiratory tract disease, particularly in kittens, but could also be the cause of the disease in adult cats. Infection is more common in multi-cat environments. The zoonotic potential of C. felis appears low, but exposure to this microorganism is possible by handling the affected cats, by contact with their aerosol, and also via fomites. Materials and method. In the study, 140 cats of various breeds from Košice region in Slovakia were studied. Conjunctival samples were obtained from 71 clinically healthy cats (50.7%) and 69 cats with clinical signs of conjunctivitis and upper respiratory tract impairment (49.3%). Cats were divided into 4 groups according to breed and type of environment in which they lived. In the 1 st group were cats kept inside only (n=33), in the 2 nd group, free-roaming cats (n=50), the 3 rd group comprised stray cats, taken from the streets (n=28), and the 4 th group included cats kept in shelters or deposit devices (n=29). Molecular method PCR and DNA sequencing was used as the diagnostic method. Results. Overall positivity was 17.1%. Of the 24 positive cats, the highest positivity was detected in the population of stray cats (35.7%) and shelter cats (31%). In the group of free-roaming cats, 10% had positivity. No positive animals were detected in the group of cats kept inside only. It was also found that the risk of C. felis in cats with clinical signs of disease was more than 7-fold higher than in cats without clinical signs of conjunctivitis and respiratory tract. Conclusion. The obtained results show that cats, especially stray and shelter cats, can be important sources of feline chlamydiosis, and due to their close contact with people they can present a risk for transmission.
This study of 20 Landrace pigs provided valuable information on normal STT I/II in this species. Knowledge of normal STT reference values in pigs enables the clinician to evaluate corneal pathology and diagnose tear deficiency syndromes with greater accuracy.
Chlamydophila felis is a causative agent of acute or chronic conjunctivitis, and pneumonia in cats. Natural transmission mostly occurs consequently to close contact with other infected cats, their aerosol and fomites. We have examined 93 cats with symptoms of acute or chronic conjunctivitis, from Košice region in Slovakia, during the period of 2 years. Conjunctival samples were obtained from 55 domestic cats (59.14%) and 38 stray cats (40.86%). Of the total number of 93 examined animals, 42 cats were positive, which represents 45.16% overall positivity. Out of the 42 positive cats, 25 cats were stray and 17 positive cats were classified as domestic, which means that of 38 stray cats, 25 were positive (which represented 65.78% positivity) and of 55 domestic cats, 17 were positive (positivity was 30.90%). Our results showed that cats, especially stray cats, could be a dangerous source of chlamydiosis for humans.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.