Antibodies anti-trypanosomatides in domestic cats in Paraná: who is at highest risk of infection?

Abstract The aim of this study were to detect antibodies anti-Leishmania spp. and anti-Trypanosoma cruzi in two different populations of domestic cats (Felis catus domesticus) from North Paraná referred for surgical castration and to determine which characteristics of the animals studied may be associated with seropositivity. Serum samples from 679 cats were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) in series. Associations between age, sex, race, year of care and animal group were verified using the simple logistic regression. Percentage of 8.5% (58/679) of cats were positive for Leishmania spp. and 7.6% (51/673) for T. cruzi by the tests ELISA and IFAT. Animals collected by non-governmental animal protection organizations presented more seropositivity for Leishmania spp. (p<0.0001). Results shown that Leishmania spp. and T. cruzi are present in domestic cats in the northern part of the state of Paraná, as well as, owners of non-governmental animal protection organizations may be more exposed to leishmaniasis when compared to other animal owners evaluated in the present study.

摘要
本研究旨在检测巴西巴拉那州北部两个家猫（*Felis catus domesticus*）种群的抗利什曼原虫属（Leishmania spp.）与抗克氏锥虫（Trypanosoma cruzi）抗体水平，这些家猫均因手术绝育转诊至医疗机构；同时分析受试动物的哪些特征与血清学阳性结果存在关联。
本研究共收集679份家猫血清样本，采用酶联免疫吸附试验（enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA）与间接免疫荧光抗体试验（indirect immunofluorescence antibody test, IFAT）进行序贯检测。通过简单逻辑斯蒂回归分析受试动物的年龄、性别、品种、就诊年份以及动物组别与血清阳性率的相关性。
检测结果显示，8.5%（58/679）的家猫利什曼原虫属抗体呈阳性，7.6%（51/673）的家猫克氏锥虫抗体呈阳性。由非政府动物保护组织采集的受试动物，其利什曼原虫属血清阳性率显著更高（p<0.0001）。
本研究结果证实，巴拉那州北部地区的家猫中存在利什曼原虫属与克氏锥虫感染；此外，相较于本研究纳入的其他宠物主人，非政府动物保护组织的相关人员可能更易暴露于利什曼病感染风险中。