Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cytauxzoon felis infection found in healthy cats in Rio de Janeiro
By Raimundo, Juliana Macedo et al.·Published in The Journal of parasitology·2021·Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: CYTAUXZOON FELIS DNA DETECTION IN HEALTHY CATS FROM RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Two healthy cats from Rio de Janeiro were found to have a type of parasite called Cytauxzoon felis in their blood, which is usually associated with a serious illness in cats. One of the cats tested positive for the parasite's DNA using a special test. This finding suggests that even healthy cats can carry this parasite without showing symptoms, which could be important for understanding the disease's spread. Further research may help clarify how common this parasite is in cat populations in Brazil.
People also search for: cat Cytauxzoon felis infection · healthy cat blood test results · symptoms of Cytauxzoon felis in cats
Abstract
Feline cytauxzoonosis is a disease caused by Cytauxzoon felis, a protozoan that infects the red blood cells and macrophages. It is responsible for an acute and often fatal disease in domestic cats. The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of C. felis infections in healthy cats. Piroplasm forms were seen in the erythrocytes of 2 cats, and C. felis DNA was identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in one of them. The results demonstrate that erythrocytic piroplasmids associated with tick-borne parasitic protozoa may be found circulating in the blood of healthy cats in Rio de Janeiro. These can be differentiated from the morphologically similar forms of species such as Babesia by analysis of DNA, thereby demonstrating the potential for further studies of feline populations in Brazil.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34473290/