Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Infectious diseases found in cats and dogs rescued after Hurricane
By Levy, Julie K et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2011·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Prevalence of infectious diseases in cats and dogs rescued following Hurricane Katrina.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 414 dogs and 56 cats rescued after Hurricane Katrina showed high rates of infectious diseases. Many dogs tested positive for West Nile virus antibodies and heartworm, while cats had a high prevalence of Bartonella infections. Overall, a significant number of these animals had evidence of past or current infections, which could pose risks if they spread to other areas. It's important for pet owners to be aware of these potential health issues, especially if they adopt animals from disaster-affected regions.
People also search for: dog infectious diseases after hurricane · cat Bartonella infection symptoms · heartworm treatment for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of infectious diseases of animal and zoonotic importance in cats and dogs rescued and transferred from the Gulf Coast region following Hurricane Katrina. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. ANIMALS: 414 dogs and 56 cats rescued and transferred from the Gulf Coast region within 4 months after the hurricane. PROCEDURES: EDTA-anticoagulated blood and serum samples were tested via PCR and serologic assays for infectious diseases. RESULTS: In dogs, prevalence was highest for anti-West Nile virus (WNV) antibodies (218/390 [55.9%]), Dirofilaria immitis antigen (195/400 [48.8%]), anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies (92/366 [25.1%]), and hemotropic mycoplasma DNA (40/345 [11.9%]). The DNA of Bartonella spp, Ehrlichia spp, or Babesia spp or anti-canine influenza virus antibodies were identified in < 2% of dogs. In cats, prevalence was highest for antibodies against Bartonella spp and DNA of Bartonella spp combined (49/55 [89.1 %]), anti-T gondii antibodies (13/55 [23.6%]), hemotropic mycoplasma DNA (5/47 [10.6%]), anti-WNV antibodies (5/48 [10.4%]), D immitis antigen (4/50 [8.0%]), and anti-FIV antibodies (4/56 [7.1%]). A total of 308 (74.4%) dogs and 52 (92.9%) cats had evidence of previous or current vector-borne infections. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Cats and dogs rescued from the disaster region had evidence of multiple infectious diseases. The dispersal of potentially infectious animals to other regions of North America where some infections were not typically found could have contributed to new geographic ranges for these organisms or to underdiagnosis in affected animals because of a low index of suspicion in regions with low disease prevalence.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21281213/