Abstract
Though scantly investigated, Leishmania infantum infection and clinical cases of leishmaniasis in cats have been recently reported in several countries of the Mediterranean basin, with large variability in prevalence data. A major limitation in the comparability of the data available is attributed to the differences in diagnostic techniques employed and cat populations sampled. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of L. infantum infection in owned cats across Italy by serological and molecular tests and the identification of potential risk factors. Blood samples from 2,659 cats from northern (n = 1,543), central (n = 471) and southern (n = 645) Italy were tested for antibodies against L. infantum, by an immunofluorescence antibody test and for the parasites’ DNA, by real-time PCR. Samples were additionally screened for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) proviral DNAs. An overall cumulative L. infantum prevalence of 3.9% was recorded by serology (3.3%) and/or qPCR (0.8%), with a higher rate (10.5%) in southern Italy. The risk of L. infantum infection in cats was significantly associated to the geographical areas (South vs North and Centre; p<0.0001), age class (from 19 months to 6 years old vs ≤18 months old, p = 0.0003), neutering status (not neutered vs neutered, p = 0.0028) and FIV infection (p = 0.0051).Though the role of cats in the epidemiology of L. infantum is still debated, our findings indicate that cats are exposed to and/or infected by this protozoan, mainly in endemic regions of Italy. Hence, a standardization of procedures for a prompt diagnosis of L. infantum infection in cats and for screening cat population is crucial for a better understanding of the epidemiology of feline leishmaniasis, and of the potential role of cats in the transmission cycle of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis.
Highlights
Amongst vector-borne zoonoses, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) by Leishmania infantum is a major global disease potentially fatal to humans
Since L. infantum infection can occur in cats with clinical or subclinical outcomes, the role of cats in the epidemiology of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis needs to be thoroughly assessed
This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and associated risk factors for infection with L. infantum in a large subset of cats across Italy, a known endemic area with records of human cases of visceral leishmaniasis
Summary
Amongst vector-borne zoonoses, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) by Leishmania infantum is a major global disease potentially fatal to humans. Since the first description of FeL in a domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) [17], the number of reports of clinical cases and prevalence of L. infantum infection in cats have steadily increased in endemic areas, such as in the Mediterranean basin [12,13,18,19,20], the Middle East [21] and Brazil [22]. These data have been gained using different diagnostic methodologies since there is currently no consensus about the method of choice for diagnosing FeL. In this study we assessed the prevalence of L. infantum infection in a large number of cats across Italy by serological and molecular tests and identified potential risk factors for FeL
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
