First Molecular Evidence of <i>Leishmania Infantum</i> in Domestic Cats and Associated Risk Factors from the Black Sea Region of Turkiye

Pekmezci D., YILDIRIM A., Kot Z. N., Konacoglu G. N., DÜZLÜ Ö., ÖZKAYA G., ...Daha Fazla

ACTA PARASITOLOGICA, cilt.69, sa.3, ss.1547-1554, 2024 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 69 Sayı: 3
  • Basım Tarihi: 2024
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s11686-024-00885-0
  • Dergi Adı: ACTA PARASITOLOGICA
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Animal Behavior Abstracts, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Veterinary Science Database
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1547-1554
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Conjunctival swap, Feline Leishmaniosis, Leishmania Infantum, qPCR, Risk Factors, Türkiye
  • Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Purpose The objectives of the present study are to determine the molecular prevalence of Leishmania spp. in the owned domestic cats in the Black Sea Region of Turkiye and analyze the associated risk factors in FeL. Methods Conjunctival swabs (CS), blood, demographic, and clinical data were collected from 150 owned cats brought to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital during 2020-2022. Leishmania kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) from CS was screened by TaqMan Real-Time PCR (qPCR) with the genus-specific primers and a probe. Results All qPCR positive products were also amplified and sequenced to identify Leishmania species by ITS1 primers. Molecular prevalence of L. infantum found as 12.6% (19/150) in the observed cats in the Black Sea Region of Turkiye. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) between neutered and intact cats with regarding to L. infantum positivity. Intact cats found to be 0.368 times more prone to be L. infantum-positive (L+). Dermatological lesions were found the most common (26.3%) problems in the L + cats. The median leucocyte count was the only parameter that was found statistically (p < 0.05) lower in the L + group (6.60) than the negative group (L-) (8.96), when comparing the WBC, NEU/LYM, MONO/LYM, EOS/LYM and PLT/LYM values. Conclusion This study presented the molecular occurrence of FeL in the Black Sea Region of Turkiye for the first time indicating that the carrier status of the cats makes them alternative reservoirs for possible zoonotic transmission of L. infantum in this zone.