Department of Companion Animals, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE, Canada.
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE, Canada.
J Feline Med Surg. 2021 Dec;23(12):1155-1161. doi: 10.1177/1098612X211001042. Epub 2021 Mar 15.
Recent studies show that cats could play an important role in the transmission of species. There are few reports of leptospirosis on Prince Edward Island (PEI) and none in cats. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of serum antibodies against serovars and of DNA in the urine of a population of free-roaming cats.
Paired blood and urine samples were collected from 200 cats brought to a trap-neuter-return program. Antibody titers against six serovars (Bratislava, Canicola, Gryppotyphosa, Hardjo, Pomona, Icterohaemorrhagiae) were determined by microscopic agglutination test. PCR was performed on urine samples to identify urine shedding of DNA.
Antibodies were detected in 20/200 cats (10%) for at least one serovar, with titers ranging from 1:50 to 1:6400 (all serovars tested, except Hardjo). Urine samples of 7/200 cats (3.5%) were PCR-positive.
Feral cats in PEI had a higher than expected exposure to leptospirosis and can shed DNA from pathogenic species in urine. Further studies are needed to determine the prevalence of exposure to leptospirosis in other species on PEI and the potential role of feral cats in transmission of the disease.
最近的研究表明，猫在物种传播中可能发挥重要作用。爱德华王子岛（PEI）关于钩端螺旋体病的报告很少，在猫中则没有。本研究的目的是确定一群自由放养猫的血清抗体针对 血清型和尿液中的 DNA 的流行率。
从带到诱捕-绝育-返回计划的 200 只猫中采集配对的血液和尿液样本。通过显微镜凝集试验测定针对六种 血清型（Bratislava、Canicola、Gryppotyphosa、Hardjo、Pomona、Icterohaemorrhagiae）的抗体滴度。对尿液样本进行 PCR 以鉴定尿液中 DNA 的脱落。
200 只猫中有 20 只（10%）至少针对一种血清型检测到抗体，滴度范围为 1:50 至 1:6400（所有测试的血清型，除了 Hardjo）。200 只猫中有 7 只（3.5%）的尿液样本 PCR 为阳性。
PEI 的野生猫对钩端螺旋体病的暴露率高于预期，并且可以在尿液中从致病性 物种脱落 DNA。需要进一步研究来确定 PEI 上其他物种暴露于钩端螺旋体病的流行率以及野生猫在传播疾病中的潜在作用。
