Toxoplasma gondiiDetection in Fecal Samples from Domestic Cats (Felis catus) in Hawai‘i

Davis, Alisa A.; Lepczyk, Christopher A.; Haman, Katherine H.; Morden, Clifford W.; Crow, Susan E.; Jensen, Nicole L.; Löhr, Michael

doi:10.2984/72.4.9

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…In particular, recent work on O'ahu has also found T . gondii at cat colonies at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa campus and from feral cats removed from a seabird nesting site Ka'ena Point Natural Area Reserve when a predator proof fence was installed (Davis et al, ). Furthermore, T .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fifth, only a small number of infected cats (~1–6%) may actively be shedding oocysts in their feces at any given point in time (Dabritz et al, ; Lilly & Wortham, ). Hence, at a minimum, power analysis suggests at least 20 fecal samples need to be collected per site in order to be confident of the presence or absence of the disease at study locations (Davis, ). Only one site met this minimum criterion, therefore the number of locations where the parasite is present is likely higher.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Of particular concern is that T . gondii and the associated disease, toxoplasmosis, has been found in people and wildlife in Hawai'i for over half a century (Tilden, ; Work et al, ), and the parasite is present in cats living in colonies (Davis et al, ). Hence, cat colonies may be of particular concern to the long‐term conservation of native birds living in close proximity due to both predation and disease exposure, both in continental and island ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quantifying the presence of feral cat colonies and Toxoplasma gondii in relation to bird conservation areas on O'ahu, Hawai'i

Lepczyk

Haman

Sizemore³

et al. 2020

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Free-ranging feral cats (Felis catus) are increasingly found in colonies loosely managed by people. These colonies increase cat densities and, hence, pose threats to wildlife via disease and predation, particularly in insular ecosystems where native species have smaller populations and reduced pathogen exposure compared to continental systems. Given such concerns, our objectives were to: (a) identify feral cat colonies on the island of O'ahu in the vicinity of important native bird sites;and (b) test for Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite-causing disease (Toxoplasmosis) of concern to native birds, at cat colony sites. We identified 32 important native bird locations and surveyed public lands near these sites to determine presence of cat colonies. Where cat colonies were present, we collected feces and used molecular tools to identify the presence of T. gondii. We identified 25 cat colonies near an important bird area and collected feces at four of these colonies, with three testing positive for T. gondii. The presence of cats near a majority of native bird areas suggests that cats may impose a serious threat to bird species. Our finding of T. gondii at three of the four colonies where cat feces were collected raises serious health concerns for humans, birds, and many other terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Native birds in Hawai'i, including highly endangered species, are susceptible to both predation and T. gondii, and finding its presence in locations relatively near to important native bird areas provides further evidence that reducing freeranging feral cat numbers is critical for reducing impacts on birds. K E Y W O R D Scat colony, Felis catus, invasive species, island ecosystems, Toxoplasma gondii

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quantifying the presence of feral cat colonies and Toxoplasma gondii in relation to bird conservation areas on O'ahu, Hawai'i

Lepczyk

Haman

Sizemore³

et al. 2020

Conservat Sci and Prac

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“…Cats can also affect urban bird populations indirectly. They can transmit diseases to birds, resulting in additional mortality [5][6][7]. Cats can reduce bird fitness by reducing access to high-quality foraging or nesting sites [8][9][10], and reduce fledgling success by increasing nest defense at the expense of provisioning young [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weak Effects of Owned Outdoor Cat Density on Urban Bird Richness and Abundance

Perkins

Martin

Smith

et al. 2021

Land

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Domestic cats (Felis catus) are ubiquitous predators of birds in urban areas. In addition to the lethal effect of predation, there can also be sublethal, negative effects of domestic cats on individual birds. These effects have led to the inference that reducing outdoor cat densities would benefit urban bird communities. Here we estimate the likely result of policies/programs designed to reduce densities of owned outdoor cats in urban areas, estimating relationships between bird richness/abundance and cat densities across 58 landscapes in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. We estimate that we would most likely observe one additional bird species, and 0.003 additional individuals per species, if policies/programs reduced owned outdoor cat densities to zero in an average landscape in Ottawa (with 130.2 cats/km2). However, these effects of cat density on birds were uncertain, with 95% confidence intervals crossing zero. Our findings—in combination with those of previous studies—suggest a need for research to resolve the apparent disconnect between the strong, negative effects of cats on individual urban birds and the weak, uncertain effects of cats on bird populations. Although measures that reduce owned outdoor cat densities are justified based on the precautionary principle, evidence to date does not support prioritizing these measures over those addressing threats that have consistently strong effects on bird populations.

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“…There are few studies of T. gondii oocysts in soil, in part due to limitations in current methods of sampling and detection (Dumètre & Dardé, ; Lelu et al, ; Shapiro et al, ; Su, Shwab, Zhou, Zhu, & Dubey, ). Prior investigations have been conducted in temperate or subtropical regions (Afonso, Thulliez, & Gilot‐fromont, ; Davis et al, ; Du et al, ; Gotteland et al, ; Lass et al, ; Liu et al, ; Simon et al, ) with T. gondii prevalence in soil ranging from 0% (0/120, 95% CI = 0–3) in Hawaii, USA to nearly 50% (278/558, 95% CI = 45.7–54) in Northeastern France. However, few of these studies have analysed spatial or temporal variation in the patterns of T. gondii in soil.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal and spatial variation in Toxoplasma gondii contamination in soil in urban public spaces in California, United States

Wit

Kilpatrick

VanWormer

et al. 2019

Zoonoses and Public Health

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Background: Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite that can have severe implications for human health. Acutely infected cats shed environmentally resistant T. gondii oocysts in their faeces that contaminate soil, and soil can serve as a reservoir of infection for humans. Free-roaming domestic cats are thought to play an important role in environmental contamination with T. gondii, but few studies have directly measured the direct contribution of free-roaming cats to T. gondii in soil. Methods:Our goals were to determine whether T. gondii soil contamination occurs in public areas with free-roaming cat colonies in central California and examine spatial and temporal variation in soil contamination. We initially performed spiking experiments to compare the limit of T. gondii detection in soil using three conventional nested PCR assays and one real-time quantitative PCR. The nested PCR targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1) of the small subunit ribosomal RNA was the most sensitive assay, with a limit of detection between 20 and 200 oocysts per gram of soil. We applied the ITS1 PCR assay on soil from sites in city and state parks, public playgrounds and community gardens in central California, USA. Samples were collected during spring, summer and fall and in sites located along the coast and inland. Results:We detected and sequence-confirmed T. gondii in 5.6% of all of our soil subsamples, but with large seasonal and spatial variation in soil contamination: we only detected T. gondii during fall and only in coastal sites (44.3% soil prevalence), despite similar sampling intensity across space and time. Conclusions:Our results suggest that free-roaming cat colonies are an important source of T. gondii in spaces where people recreate and grow food and that soil contamination is highly seasonal and spatially variable. Management of free-roaming cats could prevent T. gondii infections by reducing environmental contamination with this zoonotic pathogen. K E Y W O R D Sfree-roaming cats, management, molecular detection, public health, sea otters | 71 de WIT eT al.

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Toxoplasma gondiiDetection in Fecal Samples from Domestic Cats (Felis catus) in Hawai‘i

Cited by 14 publications

References 46 publications

Quantifying the presence of feral cat colonies and Toxoplasma gondii in relation to bird conservation areas on O'ahu, Hawai'i

Quantifying the presence of feral cat colonies and Toxoplasma gondii in relation to bird conservation areas on O'ahu, Hawai'i

Weak Effects of Owned Outdoor Cat Density on Urban Bird Richness and Abundance

Seasonal and spatial variation in Toxoplasma gondii contamination in soil in urban public spaces in California, United States

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