Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Mycoplasma haemofelis infection and its link to FeLV and FIV in cats
By da Rosa Maciel, Aline et al.·Published in Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases·2023·Department of Veterinary Medicine, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Mycoplasma haemofelis infection and its correlation with feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) in cats in Southern Brazil.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study in Southern Brazil found that 6.6% of cats tested positive for Mycoplasma haemofelis, a type of blood infection. Most of these infected cats were male, and while some had other infections like feline leukemia virus (FeLV) or feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), most showed no symptoms. Only a few cats had noticeable signs like pale gums. This suggests that many cats with Mycoplasma haemofelis may not show any health issues and could be healthy carriers.
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Abstract
A cross-sectional study was conducted on 274 cats in Southern Brazil to estimate the prevalence of Mycoplasma haemofelis PCR, associated factors, and its correlation with ELISA for FeLV and FIV. The apparent prevalence of M. haemofelis was 6.6% (18/274) (95% CI: 3.6-9.5%), of which 33.3% (6/18) had co-infection with FeLV, 5.6% (1/18) with FIV, and 5.6% (1/18) with both. Male cats were more likely to be positive for M. haemofelis [OR: 7.07 (1.97-25.34)]. Only three M. haemofelis-positive cats showed related clinical changes, such as mucosal pallor. A statistically significant difference was observed between M. haemofelis-positive cats and the negative control group for age, hemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume, and rod neutrophil counts. Mycoplasma haemofelis is prevalent in southern Brazil, with a higher risk in male cats. Most cats could be classified as asymptomatic carriers since they were healthy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36630814/