Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Parasites found in 36% of cats in Cyprus including lungworm
By Diakou, Anastasia et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2017·School of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Occurrence and zoonotic potential of endoparasites in cats of Cyprus and a new distribution area for Troglostrongylus brevior.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that 35.7% of cats in Cyprus had various parasites, including Toxocara cati and Giardia, which can affect both cat and human health. The research involved 185 cats, with those living indoors or recently treated for parasites being less likely to be infected. Notably, younger cats under one year old were more likely to shed lungworm larvae from a parasite called Troglostrongylus brevior. This finding indicates that Cyprus is now recognized as a new area where this lungworm is found in Europe.
People also search for: cat parasites Cyprus · indoor cat parasite prevention · Giardia treatment for cats · lungworm in cats symptoms
Abstract
The present study investigated for the first time the occurrence of pulmonary and intestinal parasites of cats in Cyprus. Cats from five districts of Cyprus (Lefkosia, Lemesos, Larnaka, Pafos and Ammochostos) were examined by classical parasitological methods and the identity of lungworm larvae, whenever present, was confirmed by PCR-coupled sequencing. A total of 185 cats, 48 living exclusively indoors and 137 with outdoor access, were included in the study. Parasites were found in 66 (35.7%) of the examined cats, i.e. Toxocara cati (12%), Cystoisospora rivolta (12%), Joyeuxiella/Diplopylidium spp. (7%), Giardia spp. (6.5%), Troglostrongylus brevior (5%), Cystoisospora felis (2.5%), Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (2%), Taenia spp. (0.5%) and Dipylidium caninum (0.5%). Mixed infections were recorded in 18 cats. Cats that lived exclusively indoors or had received an antiparasitic treatment in the last 6 months were less likely to be infected (p < 0.05). Moreover, cats younger than 1 year old were more likely to shed first-stage larvae of T. brevior (p = 0.04). The present study shows that cats in Cyprus are infected at a high percentage by a variety of parasites that potentially affect their health and also, in some cases (i.e. T. cati, D. caninum, Giardia spp.), may have an impact on human health. Moreover, it was revealed that T. brevior, a lungworm of emerging significance, is present on the island, rendering Cyprus the easternmost distribution border of this parasite in Europe to date.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29034414/