Prevalence of <i>Cytauxzoon felis</i> Infection-Carriers in Eastern Kansas Domestic Cats

oleh: Yvonne M. Wikander, Tippawan Anantatat, Qing Kang, Kathryn E. Reif

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2020-10-01

Deskripsi

<i>Cytauxzoon felis</i> 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 <i>C. felis</i>-domestic cat carriers while statewide awareness and concern of cytauxzoonosis have increased. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of <i>C. felis-</i>carriers in the eastern Kansas domestic cat population using a sensitive quantitative PCR assay targeting the <i>C. felis</i> Cox3 mitochondrial gene. An overall <i>C. felis</i> infection prevalence of 25.8% was determined for asymptomatic domestic cats in eastern Kansas. Significantly more <i>C. felis</i>-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 <i>C. felis</i> compared to rescue/rescinded cats. This study demonstrates that <i>C. felis</i>-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 <i>C. felis</i> is essential in developing cytauxzoonosis mitigation strategies, including recommending year-round use of acaricide products for all cats that spend any time outdoors.