scholarly journals Prevalence of Cytauxzoon felis Infection-Carriers in Eastern Kansas Domestic Cats

Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne M. Wikander ◽  
Tippawan Anantatat ◽  
Qing Kang ◽  
Kathryn E. Reif
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Gene ◽  
Seasonal Fluctuation ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Cytauxzoon Felis ◽  
Tick Transmission ◽  
Quantitative Pcr Assay

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 Additionally, a greater percentage of feral and owned cats were positive for C. felis compared to rescue/rescinded cats.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.

scholarly journals Acute Cytauxzoon felis Cases in Domestic Cats from Eastern Kansas, a Retrospective Case-Control Study (2006–2019)

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 205
Author(s):  
Yvonne M. Wikander ◽  
Qing Kang ◽  
Kathryn E. Reif
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Seasonal Fluctuation ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Case Review ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Retrospective Case ◽  
Unrelated Control ◽  
Cytauxzoon Felis

Cytauxzoon felis, a tick-borne hemoprotozoal pathogen of felids, causes an acute, often-fatal disease in domestic cats. While public awareness of the disease has increased, few studies have evaluated the incidence of acute cytauxzoonosis cases and their associated risk factors. The objective of this study was to retrospectively review records of cats diagnosed with acute cytauxzoonosis in eastern Kansas from 2006–2019 using clinic records and determine: (i) feline cytauxzoonosis risk factors; and (ii) if cytauxzoonosis case incidence is increasing. Although inter-annual variation of acute cytauxzoonosis diagnosis was observed in the eastern Kansas domestic cat population, the overall incidence trend remained largely unchanged over the 14-year case review period. In comparison to ill (C. felis-unrelated) control cases, more acute cytauxzoonosis cases were diagnosed in spring and summer, suggesting a seasonal fluctuation of infection, with samples most commonly submitted from ≥1 year old, owned, male cats. Although cytauxzoonosis case submissions remained consistent over the broad study period, increasing tick vector and domestic cat reservoir populations may contribute to additional cytauxzoonosis case expansion in endemic areas. Investigating the incidence of acute cytauxzoonosis, patient risk factors, and ecological variables that influence disease transmission are important steps towards developing and communicating the need for effective cytauxzoonosis control strategies for high-risk cat populations.

scholarly journals Two Tales of Cytauxzoon felis Infections in Domestic Cats

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 861-885 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Lei Wang ◽  
Ting-Ting Li ◽  
Guo-Hua Liu ◽  
Xing-Quan Zhu ◽  
Chaoqun Yao
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Course Of Illness ◽  
Treatment And Prevention ◽  
Short Course ◽  
Cytauxzoon Felis ◽  
Wild Felids ◽  
Current Article ◽  
Different Strains

SUMMARY Cytauxzoonosis is an emerging infectious disease that affects wild felids as well as the domestic cat; it is caused by the apicomplexan protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Cytauxzoon. Cytauxzoon felis is the species of major concern, whose transmission occurs via the bite of an infected tick. Cytauxzoonosis of the domestic cat has historically been considered uniformly fatal, with a short course of illness, and most domestic cats die within 9 to 15 days postinfection. However, increasing evidence of domestic cats surviving C. felis infection suggests the existence of different strains with various levels of pathogenicity. Although wild felids are considered natural reservoirs for this parasite, a number of studies suggest that domestic cats that have survived nonlethal infections may serve as an additional reservoir. The current article comprehensively reviews the parasite and its life cycle, geographic distribution, genetic variability, and pathogenesis, as well as host immunology and the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infection in the domestic cat. This information should provide a basis for better understanding the parasite as well as the pathogenesis of the disease.

scholarly journals Domestic cat’s internal carotid artery in ontogenesis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Ziemak ◽  
H Frackowiak ◽  
M Zdun
Keyword(s):  
Carotid Artery ◽  
Internal Carotid Artery ◽  
Internal Carotid ◽  
Cerebral Arteries ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Precise Description ◽  
Adult Cats ◽  
The Brain

The aim of the study was to trace the presence of the internal carotid artery in the system of cerebral arteries of the domestic cat and to determine the role of this artery in supplying blood to the brain in ontogenesis. The available publications provide ambiguous or even contradictory information. The authors of some studies claim that there is no extracranial segment in the domestic cat’s internal carotid artery. Other authors reported the internal carotid artery in the arterial pattern of the encephalon base. The study was conducted on sixty-one domestic cats: fifteen foetuses, sixteen juvenile cats, and thirty adult cats were analysed. The internal carotid artery – a vessel with a relatively large lumen – was fully preserved in all the foetuses and most of the juvenile animals. This artery was not complete with regard to the adults and some juvenile individuals, because it had lost the extracranial segment as a result of the obliteration process. A precise description of this area is not only of biological, but also of clinical, significance. The knowledge of the anatomical structure of cerebral vessels is particularly important to correctly interpret images obtained during diagnostic tests and to conduct surgical procedures correctly.

scholarly journals The Warrior and the Cat: A Re-Evaluation of the Roles of Domestic Cats in Viking Age Scandinavia

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (27) ◽  
pp. 213-245
Author(s):  
Matthias Toplak
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Old Norse ◽  
Viking Age ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Archaeological Evidence ◽  
Old Irish ◽  
Literary Sources ◽  
Law Texts

The role of cats in Viking Age society is little investigated and has been dominated by uncritical adoptions of medieval mythology. Based on literary sources, the domestic cat is often linked to cultic spheres of female sorcery. Yet the archaeological evidence indicates an ambivalent situation. Cat bones from many trading centres show cut marks from skinning and highlight the value of cat fur. In contrast, the occurrence of cats in male burials points rather to a function as exotic and prestigious pets. The influence of Old Norse mythology on the traditional interpretation of cats as cultic companions therefore needs critical reconsideration. For this, a broad range of literary and historical sources – from Old Norse literature to Old Irish law texts – will be analysed and confronted with the archaeological evidence for domestic cats in Viking Age Scandinavia. The results will be discussed on a broader theoretical approach, involving concepts such as agency, and embedded in current research on human-animal-relations in order to achieve a more nuanced perspective on the roles and functions of cats in day-to-day reality as well as in the burial context.

scholarly journals Co-infection with arthropod-borne pathogens in domestic cats

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 525-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Rogério André ◽  
Kilder Dantas Filgueira ◽  
Ana Cláudia Calchi ◽  
Keyla Carstens Marques de Sousa ◽  
Luiz Ricardo Gonçalves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anaplasma Phagocytophilum ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Ehrlichia Canis ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Cytauxzoon Felis ◽  
Blood Smears ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Biochemical Abnormalities

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.

scholarly journals Cytauxzoon europaeus infections in domestic cats in Switzerland and in European wildcats in France: a tale that started more than two decades ago

2022 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Willi ◽  
Marina L. Meli ◽  
Chiara Cafarelli ◽  
Urs O. Gilli ◽  
Anja Kipar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Mitochondrial Gene ◽  
Gene Sequencing ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Stray Cats ◽  
Wild Felids ◽  
Central Switzerland ◽  
High Risk Populations

Abstract Background Cytauxzoon spp. infection is believed to be a newly emerging tick-borne disease in felids in Europe, with three species of the haemoparasite having recently been differentiated in wild felids. In Switzerland, rare infections have been documented in domestic cats in the west and northwest of the country, the first of which was in 2014. The aims of the present study were: (i) to characterize a Cytauxzoon spp. hotspot in domestic cats in central Switzerland; (ii) to elucidate the geographic distribution of Cytauxzoon spp. in domestic cats in Switzerland; (iii) to assess suspected high-risk populations, such as stray and anaemic cats; and (iv) to investigate the newly emerging nature of the infection. Cytauxzoon spp. were further differentiated using mitochondrial gene sequencing. Methods The overall study included samples from 13 cats from two households in central Switzerland (study A), 881 cats from all regions of Switzerland (study B), 91 stray cats from a hotspot region in the northwest of Switzerland and 501 anaemic cats from across Switzerland (study C), and 65 Swiss domestic cats sampled in 2003 and 34 European wildcats from eastern France sampled in the period 1995–1996 (study D). The samples were analysed for Cytauxzoon spp. using real-time TaqMan quantitative PCR, and positive samples were subjected to 18S rRNA, cytochrome b (CytB) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequencing. Results In study A, six of 13 cats from two neighbouring households in central Switzerland tested postive for Cytauxzoon spp.; two of the six infected cats died from bacterial infections. In studies B and C, only one of the 881 cats (0.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0–0.3%) in the countrywide survey and one of the 501 anaemic cats (0.2%; 95% CI: 0–0.6%) tested postive for Cytauxzoon spp. while eight of the 91 stray cats in the northwest of Switzerland tested positive (8.8%; 95% CI: 3.0–14.6%). In study D, Cytauxzoon spp. was detected in one of the 65 domestic cat samples from 2003 (1.5%; 95% CI: 0–4.5%) and in ten of the 34 European wildcat samples from 1995 to 1996 (29%; 95% CI: 14.2–44.7%). The isolates showed ≥ 98.6% sequence identities among the 18S rRNA, CytB and COI genes, respectively, and fell in the subclade Cytauxzoon europaeus based on CytB and COI gene phylogenetic analyses. Conclusions The study challenges the newly emerging nature of Cytauxzoon spp. in central Europe and confirms that isolates from domestic cats in Switzerland and European wild felids belong to the same species. Graphical Abstract

scholarly journals The Role of Fungi in the Cocoa Production Chain and the Challenge of Climate Change

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 202
Author(s):  
Johannes Delgado-Ospina ◽  
Junior Bernardo Molina-Hernández ◽  
Clemencia Chaves-López ◽  
Gianfranco Romanazzi ◽  
Antonello Paparella
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Fungal Infections ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Plant Diseases ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Cocoa Production

Background: The role of fungi in cocoa crops is mainly associated with plant diseases and contamination of harvest with unwanted metabolites such as mycotoxins that can reach the final consumer. However, in recent years there has been interest in discovering other existing interactions in the environment that may be beneficial, such as antagonism, commensalism, and the production of specific enzymes, among others. Scope and approach: This review summarizes the different fungi species involved in cocoa production and the cocoa supply chain. In particular, it examines the presence of fungal species during cultivation, harvest, fermentation, drying, and storage, emphasizing the factors that possibly influence their prevalence in the different stages of production and the health risks associated with the production of mycotoxins in the light of recent literature. Key findings and conclusion: Fungi associated with the cocoa production chain have many different roles. They have evolved in a varied range of ecosystems in close association with plants and various habitats, affecting nearly all the cocoa chain steps. Reports of the isolation of 60 genera of fungi were found, of which only 19 were involved in several stages. Although endophytic fungi can help control some diseases caused by pathogenic fungi, climate change, with increased rain and temperatures, together with intensified exchanges, can favour most of these fungal infections, and the presence of highly aggressive new fungal genotypes increasing the concern of mycotoxin production. For this reason, mitigation strategies need to be determined to prevent the spread of disease-causing fungi and preserve beneficial ones.

Do prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) change their activity and space use in response to domestic cat (Felis catus) excreta?

Mammalia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Keane ◽  
Phillip J. Long ◽  
Yasmeen Fleifil ◽  
Nancy G. Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Space Use ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Microtus Ochrogaster ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Prairie Voles ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Odor Cues ◽  
Risk Of Predation

AbstractBehavioral changes that reduce the risk of predation in response to predator-derived odor cues are widespread among mammalian taxa and have received a great deal of attention. Although voles of the genus Microtus are staples in the diet of many mammalian predators, including domestic cats (Felis catus), there are no previous studies on vole space utilization and activity levels in response to odor cues from domestic cats. Therefore, the objective of our study was to investigate responses of adult prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) living in semi-natural habitats to odor cues from domestic cat excreta. Contrary to expectations, neither adult males or females showed significant changes in space use or willingness to enter traps in response to cat odors. One hypothesis to explain our results are that prairie voles have not co-evolved with domestic cats long enough to respond to their odors. Other possible explanations include whether levels of odors in the environment were sufficient to trigger a response or that the perceived risk of predation from odor cues alone did not outweigh relative costs of changing space use and activity levels. Future studies should consider multiple factors when determining what cues are sufficient to elicit antipredatory behavior.

Testicular effects of a postnatal GnRH antagonist in domestic cats

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Gnrh Antagonist ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Cellular Debris ◽  
Reduced Height ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Luminal Area ◽  
Germinal Cells

Abstract The aim of this study was to describe the histological effects of two high postnatal doses of the potent third-generation GnRH antagonist, acyline in the domestic cat testicle. Secondly, the physical, endocrine, and steroidogenic findings of this pharmaceutical protocol are also reported. Twelve postnatal littermate male kittens were administered acyline in a dose of 2.2 mg/100 g SC weekly for 2 weeks (ACY; n = 6), or placebo (PL; n = 6). All the animals were followed up until puberty when they were castrated. Serial faecal samples were collected until the age of 10 weeks for testosterone (T) measurement. The kittens achieved puberty without either age (236.5 ± 19.7 vs. 221.7 ± 23.7 days) or body weight (3.05 ± 0.15 vs. 2.78 ± 0.28 kg, P > 0.05) differences between ACY and PL, respectively. Acyline suppressed faecal T concentrations for 3 weeks (P < 0.01). From the fourth week on, both groups had low concentrations up to the end of the follow-up period (P > 0.05). Histological assessment of the testes showed that ACY cats presented a reduced height of the epithelium (P < 0.01) due to the diminished number of germinal cells accompanied by an enlarged luminal area (P < 0.01) with cellular debris (P < 0.01). The immunostaining of P450c17 also appeared partially diminished in ACY testes.

Role of nuclear genes in expression of a mitochondrial tRNA gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

1983 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-379
Author(s):  
M Wesolowski ◽  
C Palleschi ◽  
L Frontali ◽  
H Fukuhara
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Trna Gene ◽  
Mitochondrial Gene ◽  
Nuclear Genes ◽  
Yeast Mitochondria ◽  
Mitochondrial Trna ◽  
Genetic Crosses ◽  
Mitochondrial Trna Gene

In yeast mitochondria, most of the isoaccepting species of tyrosyl tRNA are coded by a mitochondrial gene, tyrA. A particular isoaccepting species is coded by a second mitochondrial gene, tyrB. This gene is not expressed in certain strains of yeast which show no deficient phenotype. Genetic crosses between strains expressing or not expressing the tyrB gene demonstrate that expression is controlled by specific nuclear genes and that a mutation of the tyrA gene can be bypassed when the tyrB gene is operative.

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