Co-infection with arthropod-borne pathogens in domestic cats

Abstract The role of several feline vector-borne pathogens (FVBP) as a cause of disease in cats has not been clearly determined. In fact, with the exception of Bartonella spp. and hemoplasmas, FVBP in cats has not been clearly determined in Brazil yet. The present study aimed at identifying, by using molecular methods, the presence of FVBP in three cats showing non-specific clinical signs and inclusions suggestive of hemoparasites in blood smears. Cytauxzoon felis, ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum’, Ehrlichia sp. closely related to Ehrlichia canis, and Anaplasma sp. closely related to Anaplasma phagocytophilum were detected in blood samples from two out of three sampled cats. Both cats positive for multiple FVBP did not show hematological and biochemical abnormalities. The present work emphasizes the need for molecular confirmation of co-infection by multiple FVBP in cats presenting non-specific clinical signs and inclusions resembling hemoparasites in blood smears.摘要 数种猫媒传性病原体（feline vector-borne pathogens, FVBP）作为猫类致病原的致病作用尚未明确。事实上，除巴尔通体属（Bartonella spp.）和血支原体（hemoplasmas）外，巴西境内猫源FVBP的感染情况仍未得到明确阐明。本研究旨在通过分子生物学方法，对3只表现出非特异性临床症状且血涂片可见疑似血寄生虫包涵体的家猫，检测其体内FVBP的存在情况。结果显示，3只受检家猫中的2只，其血液样本检出了猫泰勒虫（Cytauxzoon felis）、‘候选种血支原体（Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum）’、与犬埃立克体（Ehrlichia canis）亲缘关系密切的埃立克体属未定种，以及与嗜吞噬细胞无形体（Anaplasma phagocytophilum）亲缘关系密切的无形体属未定种。这2只携带多种FVBP的受检猫均未表现出血液学与生化指标异常。本研究强调，对于表现出非特异性临床症状且血涂片存在疑似血寄生虫包涵体的家猫，需通过分子生物学手段确认其是否存在多种FVBP混合感染。