Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
First detection of Demodex gatoi mites in Austrian cats using fecal
By Silbermayr, Katja et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2013·Department of Pathobiology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The first case of Demodex gatoi in Austria, detected with fecal flotation.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old female spayed Cornish Rex cat was brought to the vet with hair loss and itching all over her body. After examining her, the vet found that she had patches of missing fur and skin irritation. They discovered that both this cat and her healthy housemate had a type of skin mite called Demodex gatoi, which is usually transmitted between cats. The affected cat was treated with oral ivermectin, and the vet also used a special fecal test that showed more mites than skin scrapings did. This case highlights that fecal tests can be a helpful way to find these mites, even in cats that don’t show any symptoms.
People also search for: cat itching treatment · Demodex gatoi in cats · Cornish Rex hair loss · cat skin mites diagnosis
Abstract
Feline demodicosis is a rare parasitic condition caused by three different species of mites (Demodex cati, Demodex gatoi, and an unnamed species). D. gatoi inhabits the superficial skin layer (stratum corneum) and is easily transmitted between individual cats. A 2-year-old female spayed Cornish Rex was presented with alopecia and pruritus. The dermatological examination revealed bilateral alopecia and excoriations on trunk, limbs, and belly. The second cat in the household, a 3-year-old female spayed Thai, showed no clinical signs. Superficial and deep skin scrapings were performed and cellophane tapes applied, and living D. gatoi mites could be detected in both cats. Oral ivermectin (0.25 mg/kg every other day) was subscribed. Feces were collected from both cats and fecal flotation with sugar and zinc solutions performed. When compared to skin scrapings and cellophane tapes, D. gatoi was detected more frequently and in higher numbers in fecal samples. Our findings suggest that D. gatoi can be efficiently diagnosed with coproscopy, particularly in asymptomatic carrier animals. DNA was extracted from the flotation liquid, and a PCR protocol for the species verification was designed. A fragment targeting a 325-bp DNA fragment of the D. gatoi mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene was amplified with a 100% similarity to the D. gatoi entry in GenBank® (GI 421920216). We report the first finding of D. gatoi in Austria and propose fecal flotation as a valuable tool for mite detection. Fecal flotation liquid is suitable for DNA extraction and PCR-based species verification of D. gatoi.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23681192/