Monika Halánová1, Lenka Petrová2, Miloš Halán3, Alexandra Trbolová4, Ingrid Babinská5, Tatiana Weissová6. 1. Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Košice, Slovakia. monika.halanova@upjs.sk. 2. Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Košice, Slovakia. lenka.petrova@upjs.sk. 3. University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Košice, Slovakia. milos.halan@uvlf.sk. 4. University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Košice, Slovakia. alexandra.trbolova@uvlf.sk. 5. Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Košice, Slovakia. ingrid.babinska@upjs.sk. 6. University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Košice, Slovakia. tatiana.weissova@uvlf.sk.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: <i>Chlamydia (C.)</i> felis can cause infection which may be associated with conjunctivitis and/or respiratory tract disease, particularly in kittens, but could also be the cause of the disease in adult cats. Infection is more common in multi-cat environments. The zoonotic potential of <i>C. felis</i> appears low, but exposure to this microorganism is possible by handling the affected cats, by contact with their aerosol, and also via fomites. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the study, 140 cats of various breeds from Košice region in Slovakia were studied. Conjunctival samples were obtained from 71 clinically healthy cats (50.7%) and 69 cats with clinical signs of conjunctivitis and upper respiratory tract impairment (49.3%). Cats were divided into 4 groups according to breed and type of environment in which they lived. In the 1<sup>st</sup> group were cats kept inside only (n=33), in the 2<sup>nd</sup> group, free-roaming cats (n=50), the 3<sup>rd</sup> group comprised stray cats, taken from the streets (n=28), and the 4<sup>th</sup> group included cats kept in shelters or deposit devices (n=29). Molecular method PCR and DNA sequencing was used as the diagnostic method. RESULTS: Overall positivity was 17.1%. Of the 24 positive cats, the highest positivity was detected in the population of stray cats (35.7%) and shelter cats (31%). In the group of free-roaming cats, 10% had positivity. No positive animals were detected in the group of cats kept inside only. It was also found that the risk of <i>C. felis</i> in cats with clinical signs of disease was more than 7-fold higher than in cats without clinical signs of conjunctivitis and respiratory tract. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results show that cats, especially stray and shelter cats, can be important sources of feline chlamydiosis, and due to their close contact with people they can present a risk for transmission.
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: <i>Chlamydia (C.)</i> felis can cause infection which may be associated with conjunctivitis and/or respiratory tract disease, particularly in kittens, but could also be the cause of the disease in adult cats. Infection is more common in multi-cat environments. The zoonotic potential of <i>C. felis</i> appears low, but exposure to this microorganism is possible by handling the affected cats, by contact with their aerosol, and also via fomites. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the study, 140 cats of various breeds from Košice region in Slovakia were studied. Conjunctival samples were obtained from 71 clinically healthy cats (50.7%) and 69 cats with clinical signs of conjunctivitis and upper respiratory tract impairment (49.3%). Cats were divided into 4 groups according to breed and type of environment in which they lived. In the 1<sup>st</sup> group were cats kept inside only (n=33), in the 2<sup>nd</sup> group, free-roaming cats (n=50), the 3<sup>rd</sup> group comprised stray cats, taken from the streets (n=28), and the 4<sup>th</sup> group included cats kept in shelters or deposit devices (n=29). Molecular method PCR and DNA sequencing was used as the diagnostic method. RESULTS: Overall positivity was 17.1%. Of the 24 positive cats, the highest positivity was detected in the population of stray cats (35.7%) and shelter cats (31%). In the group of free-roaming cats, 10% had positivity. No positive animals were detected in the group of cats kept inside only. It was also found that the risk of <i>C. felis</i> in cats with clinical signs of disease was more than 7-fold higher than in cats without clinical signs of conjunctivitis and respiratory tract. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results show that cats, especially stray and shelter cats, can be important sources of feline chlamydiosis, and due to their close contact with people they can present a risk for transmission.
Entities:
Keywords:
Chlamydia felis; PCR; Prevalence; cat; public health; zoonosis
Authors: Mónica G Candela; Angela Fanelli; João Carvalho; Emmanuel Serrano; Guillermo Domenech; Francisco Alonso; Carlos Martínez-Carrasco Journal: Zoonoses Public Health Date: 2022-02-07 Impact factor: 2.954
Authors: Michael C Calver; Heather M Crawford; Fiona R Scarff; J Stuart Bradley; Peter Dormon; Samantha Boston; Patricia A Fleming Journal: Animals (Basel) Date: 2022-09-05 Impact factor: 3.231