Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Shelter cats in Louisiana carry multiple types of Trypanosoma cruzi
By Dumonteil, Eric et al.·Published in Veterinary research·2021·Department of Tropical Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Shelter cats host infections with multiple Trypanosoma cruzi discrete typing units in southern Louisiana.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of shelter cats in southern Louisiana was tested for a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi, which can infect both cats and dogs. Out of 284 cats, about 25% tested positive for the parasite, with older cats showing higher rates of infection. The study highlights the need for veterinarians to be more aware of this parasite in pets, as it can also pose risks to humans. While the cats were infected with different types of the parasite, the findings suggest that monitoring and testing for T. cruzi could be important for both pet health and public safety.
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Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is a zoonotic parasite endemic in the southern US and the Americas, which may frequently infect dogs, but limited information is available about infections in cats. We surveyed a convenience sample of 284 shelter cats from Southern Louisiana to evaluate T. cruzi infection using serological and PCR tests. Parasites from PCR positive cats were also genotyped by PCR and deep sequencing to assess their genetic diversity. We detected a seropositivity rate for T. cruzi of at least 7.3% (17/234), and 24.6% of cats (70/284) were PCR positive for the parasite. Seropositivity increased with cat age (R = 0.91, P = 0.011), corresponding to an incidence of 7.2% ± 1.3 per year, while PCR positivity decreased with age (R = 0.93, P = 0.007). Cats were predominantly infected with parasites from TcI and TcVI DTUs, and to a lesser extent from TcIV and TcV DTUs, in agreement with the circulation of these parasite DTUs in local transmission cycles. These results indicate that veterinarians should have a greater awareness of T. cruzi infection in pets and that it would be important to better evaluate the risk for spillover infections in humans.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33823911/