Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Parasite infections and risks in shelter cats in Estonia
By Tull, Ants et al.·Published in Folia parasitologica·2021·Department of Zoology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Endoparasite prevalence and infection risk factors among cats in an animal shelter in Estonia.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
In an animal shelter in Estonia, researchers found that nearly half of the 290 cats tested had endoparasites (internal parasites) that could be harmful to both cats and humans. The most common parasites included Toxocara cati and Cystoisospora spp. The study revealed that cats from rural areas had a higher chance of being infected compared to those from urban areas. While treatment helped reduce some types of parasites, it also led to an increase in certain protist infections in cats that had been in the shelter longer. This highlights the need for better parasite control measures in shelters to protect both the animals and potential adopters.
People also search for: cat parasites shelter · Toxocara cati symptoms · how to treat cat parasites · cat infection risk factors · zoonotic parasites in cats
Abstract
Cats are important hosts for different zoonotic parasites that can be hazardous to human health. To date, few studies have attempted to identify the factors affecting parasitic infections in shelter animals. This study aims to analyse the presence of endoparasites in shelter cats in Tartu, Estonia, and identify factors affecting endoparasite prevalence and intensity. The risk factors considered were age, location (urban vs rural cats) and time spent in shelter. In total, 290 faecal samples were collected from cats at an animal shelter in 2015-2016 and investigated for endoparasites using the concentration flotation technique. In total, 138 shelter cats (47.6%) were infected with endoparasites and their overall prevalence was: Toxocara cati (36.6%), Cystoisospora spp. (12.4%), Taeniidae gen. sp. (4.1%), Toxoplasma gondii/Hammondia hammondi (3.4%), Eucoleus aerophilus (2.1%), Cryptosporidium spp. (2.1%), Ancylostoma sp. (0.7%) and Giardia sp. (0.7%). Coinfections occurred in 38 cats (13.1%) most frequently of T. cati and Cystoisospora spp. (4.5%), Cystoisospora spp. and T. gondii/H. hammondi (2.1%). Where species identification of cestode and nematode samples was not possible according to morphology, genetic analysis of the mitochondrial cox1 gene was carried out. DNA was successfully analysed for 6 out of 13 samples that required genetic identification, revealing Ancylostoma tubaeforme in one nematode sample and Hydatigera taeniaeformis in five cestode samples. Cats from rural areas had significantly higher endoparasite prevalence than cats from urban areas. Helminth prevalence decreased to some extent due to anthelmintic treatment in cats available for adoption (held ≥15 days in the shelter), whereas the prevalence of infection with protists increased significantly in these animals. It is important to note that the analysis revealed lower infection intensity for quarantine cats (held 1-14 days in the shelter) compared with cats available for adoption. The relatively high prevalence of endoparasites (including zoonotic) in shelter cats ready for adoption suggests that current anthelminthic procedures require improvements.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33938815/