Díaz-Regañón David, Villaescusa Alejandra, Ayllón Tania, Rodríguez-Franco Fernando, Baneth Gad, Calleja-Bueno Lydia, García-Sancho Mercedes, Agulla Beatriz, Sainz Ángel
Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fiocruz, Avenida Brazil 4365, CEP 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Parasit Vectors. 2017 Mar 13;10(1):112. doi: 10.1186/s13071-017-2056-1.
Different species of apicomplexan protozoans of the genera Hepatozoon and Cytauxzoon can infect domestic cats, but their epidemiology and clinical relevance are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to assess the molecular prevalence of Hepatozoon spp. and Cytauxzoon spp. and to identify associated risk factors and clinical and laboratory abnormalities in a population of cats from Madrid, Spain.
Six hundred and forty-four client-owned and stray cats from Madrid, Spain, were included in this study. DNA samples were analyzed by two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to detect a partial sequence of the 18S rRNA gene of Hepatozoon spp. and Cytauxzoon spp. In order to evaluate possible associations between infection by these protozoans and epidemiological or clinical parameters, data were collected related to: the season of sample collection, age, gender, spayed/neutered status, breed, living area, lifestyle, outdoor access, contact with other animals, prey on wild animals, history of tick or flea infestation, travel history, ectoparasiticide treatment, previous blood transfusion, previous tetracycline administration in the last 60 days, Feline Leukemia virus (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency virus (FIV) status, positivity to other vector-borne diseases, the presence or absence of clinical signs and hematological or biochemical alterations.
DNA of Hepatozoon spp. and Cytauxzoon sp. was amplified from the blood of 10 (1.6%) and 8 (1.2%) cats, respectively. Previous treatment with tetracyclines in the last 60 days, previous administration of blood transfusion, a decrease in haematocrit and an increase in creatinine were associated with Hepatozoon spp. infection. Cytauxzoon sp. infection was more frequent in samples collected during the winter months and in cats living in rural areas. This infection was associated with a FIV-positive status. Some of the cats that were positive for Hepatozoon spp. or Cytauxzoon sp. had been exposed to other vector-borne pathogens, such as Ehrlichia canis and Bartonella henselae.
Our results indicate that cats from Madrid, central Spain, are infected with Hepatozoon spp. and Cytauxzoon sp., although with a low prevalence. Further studies are needed to determine the virulence of these agents in Spanish cats.
肝簇虫属和嗜吞噬细胞无形体属的不同种类顶复门原生动物可感染家猫，但其流行病学及临床相关性尚未完全明确。本研究旨在评估西班牙马德里猫群中肝簇虫属和嗜吞噬细胞无形体属的分子流行率，并确定相关风险因素以及临床和实验室异常情况。
本研究纳入了来自西班牙马德里的644只客户拥有的猫和流浪猫。通过两种聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测分析DNA样本，以检测肝簇虫属和嗜吞噬细胞无形体属18S rRNA基因的部分序列。为评估这些原生动物感染与流行病学或临床参数之间的可能关联，收集了以下相关数据：样本采集季节、年龄、性别、绝育/去势状态、品种、生活区域、生活方式、户外活动情况、与其他动物的接触、捕食野生动物情况、蜱或跳蚤感染史、旅行史、体外寄生虫治疗情况、既往输血史、过去60天内既往四环素给药情况、猫白血病病毒（FeLV）和猫免疫缺陷病毒（FIV）状态、对其他媒介传播疾病的阳性反应、临床症状的有无以及血液学或生化改变。
分别从10只（1.6%）和8只（1.2%）猫的血液中扩增出肝簇虫属和嗜吞噬细胞无形体属的DNA。过去60天内既往四环素治疗、既往输血、血细胞比容降低和肌酐升高与肝簇虫属感染相关。嗜吞噬细胞无形体属感染在冬季采集的样本以及生活在农村地区的猫中更为常见。这种感染与FIV阳性状态相关。一些肝簇虫属或嗜吞噬细胞无形体属阳性的猫曾接触过其他媒介传播病原体，如犬埃立克体和汉赛巴尔通体。
我们的结果表明，西班牙中部马德里的猫感染了肝簇虫属和嗜吞噬细胞无形体属，尽管感染率较低。需要进一步研究以确定这些病原体在西班牙猫中的毒力。
