Importation of cats and risk of parasite spread: a Caribbean perspective and case study from St Kitts

Abstract

Background In more recent years, international travel with cats has increased. The distribution of cat parasites can change with this movement. Already, subtropical and tropical parasites have been reported by veterinarians in areas where they are not naturally present. Understanding the prevalence of tropical and subtropical parasites in Caribbean islands and the risk of importation to temperate areas could enable improved prevention recommendations and border control import requirements. Methods We present a study focused on cat owning students enrolled in a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) programme on St Kitts. Owners were interviewed about their cats and their use of parasiticides. Cats were examined for Trichuris felis and Platynosomum fastosum using sugar flotation, Lynxacarus radovskyi using an adhesive tape test, and Dirofilaria immitis using commercial antigen and antibody tests. Results Data on 115 cats owned by 87 DVM students were collected and 90 cats, all expected to travel to the USA, were examined. Most of the cats were adults and born in St Kitts. Prevalence was reported as 6.8% (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.2–15.1%) for T. felis, 16.2% (95% CI: 8.7–26.6%) for P. fastosum and 6.8% (95% CI: 2.5–14.3%) for L. radovskyi. All D. immitis tests were negative. DVM students reported a high level of deworming (83.3% of the cats), but the number of cats treated per recommendations were low (56.1% for endoparasites and 70.8% for ectoparasites). Also, there was a lack of clarity regarding the purpose of the treatments used and treatments did not appear to be targeted for the parasites present. Conclusion Our results indicate a low prevalence of the parasites of interest in the DVM student cat population compared to other prevalence studies from the Caribbean. However, a degree of non-compliance with parasiticide uses and the high number of cats traveling to the USA indicate a medium risk of importation of tropical and subtropical cat parasites to temperate areas. We recommend stronger health inspections and health screening requirements at the borders including the development of specific parasiticide protocols for cat importation.

Feline cholangitis/cholangiohepatitis complex

“…There is a precipitous decline in occurrence in regions with owned cats that are confined predominately indoors. For example, prevalence in free roaming cats and owned-cats in St. Kitts was reported to be 81 and 6.8%, respectively (Krecek et al 2010, Ketzis et al 2020. This pattern was also reported in a study from Brazil that found free roaming cats (42%) had significantly greater occurrence of infection than confined cats (7.1%) (Salomão et al 2005).…”

“…2010, Ketzis et al . 2020). This pattern was also reported in a study from Brazil that found free roaming cats (42%) had significantly greater occurrence of infection than confined cats (7.1%) (Salomão et al .…”

Prevalencia De Parásitos Gastrointestinales en Gatos Domésticos (Felis Silvestris Catus Schreber, 1775) en La Habana, Cuba

“…Los parásitos ciclozoonóticos asociados a perros y gatos ocasionan múltiples enfermedades al hombre (Vilca de Díaz & Melo-Anccasi, 2013;Nunes et al, 2018;Ferraz et al, 2020;Jenkins, 2020;Ketzis et al, 2020), representando un riesgo potencial para la salud humana (Ruiz et al, 2015;Peterson & Barnes, 2020). La alta frecuencia de parásitos intestinales zoonóticos en perros y gatos hace necesarias medidas correctivas y preventivas desde la salud pública para su control (Ortiz-Álvarez, 2015;Sarmiento-Rubiano et al, 2018;Rivero et al, 2020) & Melo-Anccasi, 2013;Ruiz et al, 2015;Rosado-Aguilar et al, 2016;García-Galán et al, 2017;Geng et al, 2018;Sarmiento-Rubiano et al, 2018;López-Osorio et al, 2020;Rostami et al, 2020), lo que evidencia una parasitofauna común.…”