Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, 10900, Bangkok, Thailand.
BMC Vet Res. 2021 Jan 18;17(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s12917-020-02737-1.
Cats can be carriers of infected arthropods and be infected with several vector-borne pathogens (VBPs) but there is limited knowledge about their pathogenic role in cats. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of some feline vector-borne agents by molecular technique and to characterize the hematological findings associated with these infections in a cat population from Bangkok Thailand.
PCR was positive with at least one pathogen in 237 out of 372 subjects (63.7%), with prevalence of 39.5% (147/372) for Babesia spp., 36.9% (137/372) for hemoplasmas and 3.2% (12/372) for Hepatozoon spp. The cats older than 1 year were at significantly greater risk for VBPs infection (P = 0.001; OR = 1.43; 95% CI: 1.12 - 1.81) and hemoplasmas infection (χ2 = 10.8, df = 1; P < 0.0001; OR = 2.45; 95% CI: 1.49 - 4.01). A significant association between hematological findings and hemoplasma infection were identified in the present study. Besides, VBPs infection revealed more frequent in male cats (χ2= 6.38, df = 1, P = 0.01). Macrocytic hypochromic type of anemia was observed in cats infested with blood-sucking arthropods compared to the non-infested cats presented.
The current study confirmed that Babesia, Hepatozoon and hemoplasmas had infected semi-domesticated cats in Bangkok, Thailand, with Babesia and hemoplasmas being dominant in prevalence. Some hematological findings were significantly associated with cats infected with vector-borne pathogens in this study including leukocyte count and platelets count that may help support veterinary technicians in diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Campaigns of VBPs monitoring in Bangkok emphasizing on the investigation of vectors and possible routes of the infection in animals should be conducted to prevent the transmission of the pathogens.
猫科动物可能携带受感染的节肢动物并感染几种媒介传播病原体（VBP），但对它们在猫科动物中的致病作用知之甚少。本研究旨在通过分子技术评估泰国曼谷猫群中一些猫科媒介传播病原体的流行率，并描述与这些感染相关的血液学发现。
在 372 只研究对象中，至少有一种病原体 PCR 阳性的有 237 只（63.7%），巴贝斯虫的流行率为 39.5%（147/372），血巴尔通体为 36.9%（137/372），肝孢虫为 3.2%（12/372）。1 岁以上的猫感染 VBP 的风险显著增加（P=0.001；OR=1.43；95%CI：1.12-1.81）和感染血巴尔通体（χ2=10.8，df=1；P<0.0001；OR=2.45；95%CI：1.49-4.01）。本研究发现血液学发现与血巴尔通体感染之间存在显著相关性。此外，VBP 感染在雄性猫中更为常见（χ2=6.38，df=1，P=0.01）。与未受感染的猫相比，感染吸血节肢动物的猫表现出大细胞低色素性贫血。
本研究证实，巴贝斯虫、肝孢虫和血巴尔通体感染了泰国曼谷的半驯化猫，巴贝斯虫和血巴尔通体在流行率方面占主导地位。在本研究中，一些血液学发现与感染媒介传播病原体的猫显著相关，包括白细胞计数和血小板计数，这可能有助于兽医技术人员进行诊断和适当治疗。应在曼谷开展 VBP 监测活动，重点调查动物感染的媒介和可能的感染途径，以防止病原体传播。
