Assessment of the exposure toand the presence of anti-antibodies in stray cats in an endemic region of Spain, and their potential correlation with environmental factors.

Abstract

is a major vector ofin the Mediterranean. While the seroprevalence of leishmaniosis in Spanish dogs and cats has been studied, data on the exposure of cats tobites under natural conditions without repellents is limited. Stray cats could serve as sentinels forandexposure. This study analyzed sera from 204 apparently healthy stray cats, collected from January 2021 to January 2022, for antibodies againstsaliva andparasites. Anti-sand fly antibodies were detected in 40.69% of cats using an ELISA with the recombinant salivary protein SP03B of. Seroprevalence ofinfection was 23.52% by Western blot and 27.41% by ELISA, with an overall seroprevalence of 40.69% (95% CI 34.18-47.54%). This is the first assessment of antibody response tosaliva andin naturally exposed stray cats in Spain. Further research is needed to examine the salivary antigens recognized by cats and to explore the relationship betweenexposure andinfection severity in cats.