Abstract
Cytauxzoon felis is a hemoprotozoal tick-transmitted pathogen of felids. Felids that survive acute disease often remain infected and serve as reservoirs for subsequent tick transmission to other susceptible felines. States adjacent to Kansas have identified C. felis-domestic cat carriers while statewide awareness and concern of cytauxzoonosis have increased. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of C. felis-carriers in the eastern Kansas domestic cat population using a sensitive quantitative PCR assay targeting the C. felis Cox3 mitochondrial gene. An overall C. felis infection prevalence of 25.8% was determined for asymptomatic domestic cats in eastern Kansas. Significantly more C. felis-carrier cats were identified in spring and fall, suggesting a seasonal fluctuation of survivors. Additionally, a greater percentage of feral and owned cats were positive for C. felis compared to rescue/rescinded cats. This study demonstrates that C. felis-domestic cat carriers are common among cats that spend at least a portion of time outdoors in eastern Kansas, and that more cats likely survive cytauxzoonosis than expected. Understanding the role of domestic cat carriers of C. felis is essential in developing cytauxzoonosis mitigation strategies, including recommending year-round use of acaricide products for all cats that spend any time outdoors.
Highlights
Cytauxzoon felis is a tick-borne hemoprotozoal pathogen of felids and the agent of cytauxzoonosis, an often fatal disease of domestic cats in the southeastern and south-central United States (U.S.)
Using blood from a cat acutely infected with C. felis, a series of assays was conducted to determine the Limit of Detection (LOD) for the cytochrome oxidase 3 (Cox3) Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR) assay used to evaluate domestic cat blood samples for C. felis infection in this study
An Limit of Quantification (LOQ) study was performed for the Cox3 qPCR assay to determine the lowest copy number of the cox3 target that could be reliably quantified from baseline with acceptable accuracy
Summary
Cytauxzoon felis is a tick-borne hemoprotozoal pathogen of felids and the agent of cytauxzoonosis, an often fatal disease of domestic cats in the southeastern and south-central United States (U.S.). C. felis has a complex lifecycle that includes an asexual stage within a felid host and a sexual reproductive stage within a competent ixodid tick vector [1] (Figure 1). C. felis sporozoites are transmitted to a felid via tick saliva during a blood meal. Sporozoites enter monocytes and begin a schizogenous, or leukocyte, phase of asexual replication resulting in the release of many 1–2 μm diameter signet ring merozoites. Merozoites enter host erythrocytes and either replicate asexually via merogony or develop into gametocytes. In the lumen of the tick gut, sexual reproduction occurs among gametocytes resulting in the formation of zygotes. Zygotes invade the gut epithelium, transform into kinetes, migrate to the salivary gland, and transform into sporozoites, the life stage dispensed via saliva during the subsequent tick bloodmeal. Successful transmission of infectious sporozoites requires transstadial maintenance of the parasite through larvae-to-nymph or nymph-to-adult ecdysis
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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.
