Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Mycoplasma bacteria found in cats with asthma and bronchitis
By Schulz, Bianka S et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2014·Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Detection of feline Mycoplasma species in cats with feline asthma and chronic bronchitis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 17 cats with feline asthma and chronic bronchitis had samples taken from their airways to check for Mycoplasma bacteria, which can affect respiratory health. The tests showed that Mycoplasma was present in some of these cats, but it was also found in healthy cats that had no respiratory issues. This suggests that Mycoplasma might not be the main cause of asthma or bronchitis in these cats, but could be a normal part of their respiratory system. More research is needed to understand the role of Mycoplasma in cat respiratory diseases.
People also search for: cat asthma treatment · chronic bronchitis in cats · Mycoplasma in cats symptoms
Abstract
Little is known about the aetiology of inflammatory lower airway disease in cats. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Mycoplasma species in cats with feline asthma (FA) and chronic bronchitis (CB). The study population consisted of 17 cats with FA/CB, and 14 sick cats without clinical and historical signs of respiratory disease, which were euthanased for various other reasons. Nasal swabs, nasal lavage and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples were taken from patients from both groups. Mycoplasma species culture with modified Hayflick agar and Mycoplasma polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed on all samples followed by sequencing of all Mycoplasma species-positive samples for differentiation of subspecies. PCR testing detected significantly more Mycoplasma species-positive BALF samples than Mycoplasma culture (P = 0.021). When cats with oropharyngeal contamination were excluded from comparison, the numbers of Mycoplasma species-positive BALF samples in the group with FA/CB (6/17) and the control group (4/9) were not significantly different (P = 0.6924). While all nasal samples of the cats with FA/CB were negative for Mycoplasma organisms, five samples in the control group (P = 0.041) were positive on PCR. Sequencing revealed Mycoplasma felis in all PCR-positive samples. Mycoplasma species can be detected in the lower airways of cats with FA/CB, as well as in the BALF of sick cats without respiratory signs. Further studies are warranted to investigate the possibility that Mycoplasma species represent commensals of the lower respiratory tract of cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24574148/