Background
Cats are hosts and reservoirs for many haemopathogens such as piroplasms,
Rickettsia
, hemotropic
Mycoplasma
,
Bartonella
,
Ehrlichia
, and
Anaplasma
, which are transmitted by various vector arthropods and some of which have a zoonotic concern. Although it is noteworthy that the rate of ownership of companion animals has increased in Türkiye in recent years and that cats account for a large proportion of these animals, there is limited research on the vector-borne infectious agents carried by them. The present study aimed to provide a comprehensive molecular epidemiological data and molecular characterization of feline vector-borne haemopathogens (FVBHs), including piroplasms, anaplasmataceae, rickettsias, haemoplasmas, and
Bartonella
species in Türkiye. In total, 250 feline blood samples were collected from client-owned cats (
n
= 203) and shelter cats (
n
= 47) brought to the Small Animal Hospital of Selcuk University, Veterinary Faculty.
Results
Overall, 40 (16%) cats were found to be infected with at least one of the investigated haemopathogens and piroplasm,
Mycoplasma
spp. and
Bartonella
spp. prevalence was 1.6%, 11.2%, and 4.8%, respectively. No
Anaplasma
/
Ehrlichia
spp. and
Rickettsia
spp. DNA was detected in the investigated feline samples. Sequence analysis revealed that all four piroplasms belonged to
Babesia ovis
with a 97.93–99.82% nucleotide sequence identity to
18S rRNA
gene sequences from Spain and Türkiye, while some sequenced hemoplasmas were
Mycoplasma haemofelis
(
Mhf
),
Candidatus
Mycoplasma haemominutum (
C
Mhm) and
Mycoplasma wenyonii
, and
Bartonella
spp. were
Bartonella henselae
and
Bartonella koehlerae
species. Co-infections with
Mycoplasma
spp. and
Bartonella
spp. were also detected in 4 cats (1.6%) in this study, where single infections were predominant.
Conclusion
This study provides valuable information on zoonotically important feline vector-borne hemopathogens in Türkiye, some of which have received attention under the One Health perspective, and is the first molecular epidemiological study to demonstrate the presence of
Babesia ovis
, the causative agent of ovine babesiosis, and
Mycoplasma wenyonii
DNA, the causative agent of bovine haemotropic mycoplasmosis, in cats. Further s...
