Abstract
Simple SummaryLeishmaniosis caused by Leishmania infantum is a parasitic disease of people and animals transmitted by sand fly vectors. Although dogs in south and central Italy are most affected, in recent decades feline leishmaniosis (FeL) has become an emerging disease. This study aimed to update information on the presence of FeL in stray cats in Milan, in northern Italy; to compare these results with previous studies performed in the same area; and to report aspects of Leishmania infection in cats. A total of 117 stray cats were included and 10 (8.6%) had L. infantum infection. The parasite was identified in popliteal lymph nodes in five cats and five had antibodies against L. infantum. Most infected cats were from a specific area of Milan. Increased gammaglobulins were seen in infected cats, which also had antibodies against the pathogens Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Chlamydophila felis, and Toxoplasma gondii. There was a high prevalence of FeL in the surveyed area of northern Italy. Further studies are needed to understand if these infected cats are being imported from other areas, or if there is a real Leishmania focus in Milan. Investigation of the presence of sand fly vectors in Milan would be useful.Feline leishmaniosis (FeL) is an emerging vector-borne feline disease, with increasing numbers of cases reported and studies performed internationally. This study aimed to update the epidemiological status for FeL in stray cats in Milan, northern Italy; compare these results with previous studies in Northern Italy; and report clinicopathologic findings and coinfections in cats infected with Leishmania spp. A total of 117 cats were tested for L. infantum and retrovirus infection, hematological, and biochemical parameters. Demographic and clinical data were collected and FeL affected cats screened for selected coinfections. Overall, 10/117 (8.6%) cats tested positive for L. infantum: in five cats L. infantum DNA was found in popliteal lymph nodes and five were IFAT seropositive at titers from 1:80 to 1:160. Infected cats were concentrated in a specific area of Milan (p = 0.0154). No specific clinicopathologic abnormalities or retroviral infections were significantly linked to the infection, other than hypergammaglobulinemia (p = 0.0127). Seroreactivity to Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Chlamydophila felis, and Toxoplasma gondii was found in some infected cats. A high prevalence of FeL was found in a non-endemic area of northern Italy and future studies should continually monitor this data to understand whether these cases are imported or if Leishmania vectors are present in this area.
Highlights
Feline leishmaniosis (FeL) is an emerging feline disease, with an overall estimated prevalence of 10%
Cats can be considered sentinel reservoir hosts at least in endemic areas of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis [2]. They can play a role as additional reservoir hosts of L. infantum and, in a “One Health” perspective, preventative measures should be taken in this species based on epidemiological data
The aims of this study were (I) to update the epidemiological status for L. infantum infection in stray cats from Milan, Northern Italy using indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) on serum and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays applied to a variety of biological samples; (II) to compare results with recent studies performed in owned and stray cats from the same, and from different, areas of Northern Italy; and (III) to report clinicopathological findings and coinfections of cats infected with L. infantum and to compare demographic, physical, and clinicopathologic findings between infected and uninfected cats to find significant associations with infectious status
Summary
Feline leishmaniosis (FeL) is an emerging feline disease, with an overall estimated prevalence of 10%. In Italy, both the overall seroprevalence (24%) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) prevalence (21%) were found to be higher than in other countries [2]. In endemic regions such as Mediterranean countries, the subclinical form of feline L. infantum is common, whereas clinical illness is relatively uncommon [1,2,4,5]. Cats can be considered sentinel reservoir hosts at least in endemic areas of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis [2] They can play a role as additional reservoir hosts of L. infantum and, in a “One Health” perspective, preventative measures should be taken in this species based on epidemiological data
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