Yazicioglu Tuba, Cetinkaya Handan
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, İstanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, İstanbul, Türkiye.
Vet Med Sci. 2025 Sep;11(5):e70552. doi: 10.1002/vms3.70552.
Feline vector-borne diseases are caused by various pathogens transmitted by arthropods. Many of these infections have zoonotic importance, and cats can serve as sentinels for monitoring the health of both humans and pets. However, there is a limited research on the vector-borne and zoonotic diseases carried by feline populations.
This study aimed to detect the prevalence of selected vector-borne and zoonotic infections among stray cats in Istanbul, Türkiye, by molecular and phylogenetic techniques.
DNA extracted from blood samples of 316 stray cats was analysed using conventional PCR assays to identify various pathogens, targeting genes 16S rRNA for Anaplasma/Ehrlichia/Bartonella spp., 18S rRNA for Hepatozoon spp., LT1 for Leishmania spp. and 529 bp-Repetitive element for Toxoplasma gondii. Phylogenetic reconstructions were conducted based on the results.
Anaplasma/Ehrlichia/Bartonella spp., Hepatozoon spp. and T. gondii prevalence were 1.8%, 3.4% and 0.3%, respectively. In addition, sequencing revealed the following prevalences: Ehrlichia canis (0.3%), Hepatozoon felis (1.5%), Hepatozoon canis (0.3%), Bartonella henselae (0.3%), Bartonella clarridgeiae (0.3%) and T. gondii (0.3%). No Leishmania spp. or Anaplasma spp. DNA was detected in any of the samples. The E. canis 16S rRNA gene sequence obtained in the study showed 100% homology with E. canis from Venezuela (human), and the H. felis 18S rRNA gene sequence demonstrated 99.45%-100% similarity with H. felis from Türkiye (Haemaphysalis parva).
This study is the first to report molecular and phylogenetic findings of E. canis and H. canis in cats from Türkiye. Notably, E. canis, Bartonella spp. and T. gondii all have zoonotic potential, highlighting the need for surveillance within the framework of a One Health approach.
猫的媒介传播疾病由节肢动物传播的各种病原体引起。其中许多感染具有人畜共患病的重要性，猫可作为监测人类和宠物健康的哨兵。然而，关于猫群携带的媒介传播和人畜共患病的研究有限。
本研究旨在通过分子和系统发育技术检测土耳其伊斯坦布尔流浪猫中选定的媒介传播和人畜共患感染的流行情况。
使用常规PCR检测法分析从316只流浪猫的血液样本中提取的DNA，以鉴定各种病原体，针对无形体属/埃立克体属/巴尔通体属物种的16S rRNA基因、肝簇虫属物种的18S rRNA基因、利什曼原虫属物种的LT1基因以及刚地弓形虫的529bp重复元件。根据结果进行系统发育重建。
无形体属/埃立克体属/巴尔通体属物种、肝簇虫属物种和刚地弓形虫的流行率分别为1.8%、3.4%和0.3%。此外，测序显示以下流行率：犬埃立克体（0.3%）、猫肝簇虫（1.5%）、犬肝簇虫（0.3%）、汉赛巴尔通体（0.3%）、克拉氏巴尔通体（0.3%）和刚地弓形虫（0.3%）。在任何样本中均未检测到利什曼原虫属或无形体属的DNA。本研究中获得的犬埃立克体16S rRNA基因序列与来自委内瑞拉（人类）的犬埃立克体显示100%同源性，猫肝簇虫18S rRNA基因序列与来自土耳其（微小扇头蜱）的猫肝簇虫显示99.45%-100%的相似性。
本研究首次报告了土耳其猫中犬埃立克体和犬肝簇虫的分子和系统发育研究结果。值得注意的是，犬埃立克体、巴尔通体属物种和刚地弓形虫都具有人畜共患病潜力，突出了在“同一健康”方法框架内进行监测的必要性。
