Leptospira spp. in Domestic Cats from Different Environments: Prevalence of Antibodies and Risk Factors Associated with  the Seropositivity

Azócar-Aedo, Lucía; Monti, Gustavo; Jara, Ronald

doi:10.3390/ani4040612

Cited by 35 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Seroprevalence against Leptospira observed in our study (4.1% positive 95% CI: 2.1-7.18%), fell within the previous intervals described worldwide, 4% to 33.3% [14,16,17,37]. Environmental factors such as outdoor habits, presence of farm animals that may shed leptospires in the neighborhood, prey habits, or even the season of the year (resulting in different levels of exposure to pathogenic leptospires), can explain the broad ranges of antibody prevalence reported in the literature.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Clinical presentation of the disease is rare and usually mild in cats [9][10][11][12]. Several studies in different geographical areas have demonstrated that cats have contact with Leptospira since they develop specific antibodies ranging from 4% to 33.3%, with no clear association to clinical disease [13][14][15][16][17]. Urinary shedding of Leptospira DNA has also been documented in cats, with a prevalence ranging up to 67.8% depending on various factors including the geographical area, the presence in the area of farm animals infected with leptospires, and prey habits [7,14,15,[18][19][20][21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Leptospira Detection in Cats in Spain by Serology and Molecular Techniques

Murillo

Cuenca

Serrano

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Leptospirosis is the most neglected widespread zoonosis worldwide. In Spain, leptospirosis reports in people and animals have increased lately. Cats can become infected with Leptospira, as well as be chronic carriers. The aim of this study was to determine serological antibody prevalence against Leptospira sp., blood DNA, and shedding of DNA from pathogenic Leptospira species in the urine of cats in Spain. Microagglutination tests (MAT) and blood and urine TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed. Leptospira antibodies were detected in 10/244 cats; with 4.1% positive results (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.1–7.18%). Titers ranged from 1:20 to 1:320 (serovars Ballum; Bataviae; Bratislava; Cynopteri; Grippotyphosa Mandemakers; Grippotyphosa Moskva; Pomona; and Proechimys). The most common serovar was Cynopteri. Blood samples from 1/89 cats amplified for Leptospira DNA (1.12%; 95% CI: 0.05–5.41%). Urine samples from 4/232 cats amplified for Leptospira DNA (1.72%; 95% CI: 0.55–4.10%). In conclusion free-roaming cats in Spain can shed pathogenic Leptospira DNA in their urine and may be a source of human infection. Serovars not previously described in cats in Spain were detected; suggesting the presence of at least 4 different species of pathogenic leptospires in the country (L. borgpetersenii; L. interrogans; L. kirschneri; and L. noguchii).

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leptospira Detection in Cats in Spain by Serology and Molecular Techniques

Murillo

Cuenca

Serrano

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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“…In this study, gender and reproduction status were not significantly associated with Leptospira infection as described in earlier studies (Azocar‐Aedo, Monti, & Jara, ; Brasil de Lima et al., ; Larsson et al., ; Mosallanejad et al., ; Mylonakis et al., ; Rodriguez et al., ). Environmental factors also did not influence the risk of a Leptospira infection, although it would be expected that cats living in rural areas have a higher risk (Azocar‐Aedo et al., ). Most of the cats (207/260) were sampled in urban areas, but the percentage of positive cats in urban and rural areas was identical (6.3%).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Leptospirainfection and shedding in cats in Thailand

Sprißler¹,

Jongwattanapisan

Luengyosluechakul

et al. 2019

Transbound Emerg Dis

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In Thailand, leptospirosis is considered an emerging disease in humans and animals. Many species can shed pathogenic Leptospira, including domestic cats (felis catus), which might be able to pose a risk to humans. There are no studies on Leptospira infections in cats in Thailand, but in other countries, it was demonstrated that cats can shed pathogenic Leptospira with high prevalences. The aims of this study were to evaluate whether outdoor cats in Thailand shed pathogenic Leptospira in their urine, and to determine antibody prevalence and risk factors associated with Leptospira infection. Two hundred and sixty outdoor cats were prospectively recruited. Urine samples were tested by real‐time PCR targeting the lipL32 gene of pathogenic Leptospira. Urine was additionally cultured for 6 months in Ellinghausen‐McCullough‐Johnson‐Harris medium to grow Leptospira. Antibodies against 24 serovars (Anhoa, Australis, Autumnalis, Ballum, Bataviae, Bratislava, Broomi, Canicola, Celledoni, Copenhageni, Coxi, Cynopteri, Djasiman, Grippotyphosa, Haemolytica, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Khorat, Paidja, Patoc, Pomona, Pyrogenes, Rachmati, Saxkoebing, Sejroe) belonging to 16 serogroups were determined using microscopic agglutination tests. Risk factors were analysed by Fisher's exact test. Urine samples of 2/260 cats (0.8%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.1%–2.8%) were PCR‐positive, but none of the 260 urine samples were culture positive. Leptospira antibodies were detected in 14/260 cats (5.4%; 95% CI: 3.0%–8.6%) with titers ranging from 1:20 to 1:160 (serovars: Anhoa, Autumnalis, Celledoni, Copenhageni, Djasiman, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Patoc). Cats aged ≥4 years were significantly more often infected with Leptospira than younger cats. No other significant risk factors were found. In conclusion, outdoor cats in Thailand can shed DNA and, possibly, viable, pathogenic Leptospira in their urine, although at a much lower prevalence than expected when compared to countries with similar climate. Thus, cats can be a potential source of infection for people. Further studies are needed to determine the role of cats in transmitting this zoonotic disease in Thailand.

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“…Cats may shed as much Leptospira as dogs do [41,42]. Therefore, cats can be a source of urban leptospirosis [38,[42][43][44], and in this case, the patient's cat may have been a potential infection source.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leptospirosis in an asplenic patient -case report

et al. 2020

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Background: The presentation of clinical leptospirosis has been historically associated with animal workers, slaughterhouse workers and medical veterinarians. This association has shifted to be related to flooding events and outdoor activities; few cases are related to high-risk factors found in immunosuppressed patients. Scarcely a handful of cases have serological evidence of immune response against Leptospira serovar Bratislava representing serogroup Australis, a serovar associated with poor reproductive performance in swine and horses, and recently with cats.Case presentation: Herein, we describe a rare clinical presentation of disseminated Leptospira infection in an immunosuppressed 65-year-old woman. She was admitted to the emergency room with fever, bacteraemia, bilateral uveitis and pulmonary involvement. The patient denied outdoor activities; she only had wide exposure to faeces and urine from cats living in her home. Her medical history included idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) diagnosed at the age of 18. She did not respond to medical treatment, and a splenectomy was performed. At age 60, she was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML), and was treated with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) -Imatinib. The patient voluntarily discontinued the treatment for the last 6 months. After extensive workup, no microorganisms were identified by the commonly used stains in microbiology. The diagnosis was performed through dark-field microscopy, microagglutination test (MAT), Leptospira genus-specific PCR, the IS1500 PCR for identification of pathogenic species, and 16S based sequencing for the genus identification. Conclusion: Immunosuppressed patients may acquire uncommon infections from ubiquitous microorganisms. In this case, serology evidence of exposure to Leptospira serovar Bratislava by MAT and the presence of the Leptospira genus were identified. It should be on mind for the diagnosis in otherwise healthy patients, and thoroughly search on splenectomised patients exposed to animals. Additionally, this report highlights the usefulness of PCR for diagnosis of this potentially life-threatening illness.

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Leptospira spp. in Domestic Cats from Different Environments: Prevalence of Antibodies and Risk Factors Associated with the Seropositivity

Cited by 35 publications

References 26 publications

Leptospira Detection in Cats in Spain by Serology and Molecular Techniques

Leptospira Detection in Cats in Spain by Serology and Molecular Techniques

Leptospirainfection and shedding in cats in Thailand

Leptospirosis in an asplenic patient -case report

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