Survey of Dirofilaria immitis antigen and antibodies to Leishmania infantum and Toxoplasma gondii in cats from Madeira Island, Portugal

Abstract

Background: Dirofilaria immitis, Leishmania infantum and Toxoplasma gondii are zoonotic parasites which can affect domestic cats. Considering the lack of published data from the local feline population, this study aimed to assess infection with or exposure to these pathogens in cats from Madeira Island, Portugal. Methods: One hundred and forty-one domestic cats (77 males and 64 females; median age: 2 years) were sampled at a veterinary medical centre in Funchal, from September 2018 to January 2019. Serum samples were tested for D. immitis antigen, with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit, and for antibodies to Leishmania spp. or to T. gondii, with the direct agglutination test and the modified agglutination test, respectively. Results: Five cats (3.5%; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.2-8.1) were positive to D. immitis; no cats were seropositive to Leishmania spp. (0%; 95% CI: 0-2.6%); and 43 cats (30.5%; 95% CI: 23.0-38.8%) were seropositive to T. gondii. Prevalence of the D. immitis antigen was significantly different between cats that received ectoparasiticides and those which did not (0 vs 12.2%; P = 0.009). Prevalence of antibodies to T. gondii was significantly different between juvenile and adult cats (12.8 vs 38.0%; P = 0.007). There were two cats concurrently positive to D. immitis and T. gondii, but no statistical association between these two dependent variables was found (P = 0.641). Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first report of the presence of parasites D. immitis and T. gondii in the feline population of Madeira Island. Knowledge on the epidemiological situation of these and other zoonotic pathogens should raise awareness, both at the veterinary medical and public health levels, and contribute to promoting prevention and control.

Exposure to Major Vector-Borne Diseases in Dogs Subjected to Different Preventative Regimens in Endemic Areas of Italy

“…The Mediterranean basin is a suitable environment for the circulation of VBDs in domestic animals; thus, monitoring local canine populations and updated epidemiological data are crucial because available information is often limited to specific countries or to selected pathogens [15,[22][23][24]. Recent studies have demonstrated that several zoonotic VBDs are shared between dog and cat populations throughout the Mediterranean basin, inevitably increasing the chances of spreading among pet populations and transmission to people [25][26][27].…”

Toxoplasma gondii in domiciled dogs and cats in urban areas of Brazil: risk factors and spatial distribution

“…In this study, male cats were more exposed to T. gondii than females. However, Neves et al [58] and Pereira et al [61] found no association between sex and the presence of anti-T. gondii antibodies in other feline populations. According to Miró et al [52] and Smith et al [74], due to the explorative behavior of males, they end up being more prone to T. gondii infection than females.…”

“…High anti-T. gondii antibody frequencies have been reported in domestic dogs and cats from Cuba, Mexico, Panama, Iran, Argentina, Portugal, Australia, Colombia, and Chile [1,10,26,30,44,57,58,63,83,86]. In Brazil, the frequency of T. gondii infection in Brazilian pet animal populations can vary from 9 to 70% in dogs and from 0 to 71% in cats [5,9,35,47,50,68,81].…”

Leishmania infection in cats and feline leishmaniosis: An updated review with a proposal of a diagnosis algorithm and prevention guidelines

“…f Molecular (nPCR, ITS) Buffy coat 12.0 ( L. donovani s.l .) 4.0 ( L. major ) Neves et al. (2020) 2018–2019 F. catus (domestic) 141 Serological (DAT, 1:100) Serum 0 Vilhena et al.…”