Cat respiratory nematodes: Current knowledge, novel data and warranted studies on clinical features, treatment and control

The nematodes Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, Troglostrongylus brevior and Capillaria aerophila are the most important parasites inhabiting the airways of cats. They are receiving growing attention from academia, pharmaceutical companies and veterinarians, and are now considered a primary cause of respiratory diseases in feline clinical practice and parasitology. In the past few years, several studies have been conducted in both natural and experimental settings to increase knowledge, provide new insights and fill gaps on respiratory parasitoses of cats. Awareness and knowledge of clinical scenarios towards appropriate and timely diagnosis and prompt and efficacious treatment options have become a priority to investigate. At the same time, chemopreventative approaches have been evaluated to assess the geographical spreading of these parasites and the rise in the number of clinical cases in cat populations of different countries. Given the intense accumulation of novel data, this review presents and discusses the state of the art and the latest updates on the clinical features, treatment, and control of major respiratory parasitoses of cats. Moreover, food for thought is also provided with the aim of spurring on new studies in the near future

Asia and europe: So distant so close? the case of lipoptena fortisetosa in Italy

In Europe, 5 Lipoptena species have been recorded, including Lipoptena fortisetosa. This species, native to Asian countries, was described as a parasite of sika deer and its appearance in Europe dates back to more than 50 years ago. Lipoptena fortisetosa has been recently reported in Italy, sharing its hosts with Lipoptena cervi. A morpho-molecular approach was developed to determine the phylogenetic interrelationship of Italian and Asian CO1 haplotypes sequenced from Lipoptena fly individuals collected in Italy, and their DNA sequences were compared with conspecifics available in GenBank; morphological key-characters (terminalia) of L. fortisetosa were compared with the original description. Two haplotypes were recorded from Italy and assigned to L. cervi and L. fortisetosa, respectively. The latter was part of the monophyletic clade L. fortisetosa, along with 2 Central European and 2 Korean haplotypes (100% identical with one of the Korean haplotypes); moreover, Italian L. fortisetosa female terminalia were consistent with the original description of Asian individuals. Pending more in-depth investigations, this study provides a first answer to the hypothesis of the recent colonization of Italy by L. fortisetosa from Asia as we did not detect any obvious and stable morphological and molecular differences in specimens from the 2 geographical areas. The presence of the sika deer in Europe was retraced and the possible route traveled by the parasite from Asia and the eco-biological factors that may have enhanced its settlement are discussed

Accidental Nasal Myiasis Caused by Megaselia rufipes (Diptera: Phoridae) in a Child

A case of a nasal myiasis in a 3-yr-old Italian girl who was referred to Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome, Italy, is reported. Larvae discharged with the nasal mucus were microscopically identified as Megaselia spp.; DNA barcoding analysis showed that they belonged to the 'scuttle fly' species Megaselia rufipes (Meigen). Based on the patient's history, she became infected when she played outside. This is the first report of myiasis in humans due to M. rufipes (Diptera: Phoridae)

Leishmania infantum Seroprevalence in Cats From Touristic Areas of Italy and Greece

Leishmaniosis by Leishmania infantum is a major zoonotic Vector-Borne Disease (VBD) in terms of geographic distribution, pathogenicity and zoonotic potential. While dogs are the main reservoir of L. infantum, the infection in cats is poorly understood although increasingly reported from enzootic and non-enzootic areas. The Mediterranean basin is a key area for leishmaniosis and includes touristic spots that require continuous surveillance for VBDs in consideration of the growing tendency of tourists to travel with their pets. This study evaluated L. infantum seroprevalence in cats living in selected touristic localities of Italy and Greece. A total of 269 cat serum samples from three Sites i.e., 76, 40, and 153 from Adriatic Coast of Abruzzo, Italy (Site A), Giglio Island, Tuscany, Italy (Site B), and Mykonos Island, Greece (Site C), respectively, were included in the survey. Sera samples were subjected to an indirect immunofluorescence antibody assay for the detection of anti-L. infantum specific IgG. Associations between possible risk factors and seropositivity to L. infantum were statistically evaluated. Antibodies against L. infantum were detected in eight out of 269 (3.0%) cats tested i.e., 4/76 (5.3%), 1/40 (2.5%), and 3/153 (2.0%), from sites A, B, and C, respectively. A statistical association between anti-L. infantum antibodies and cohabitation with dogs was shown. This study indicates that feline populations living in the examined Italian and Greek touristic areas are exposed to L. infantum and that they may contribute to the circulation of L. infantum, enhancing the risk of infection for dogs and humans

What's in a child's ear? A case of otomyiasis by Sarcophaga argyrostoma (Diptera, Sarcophagidae)

A clinical report of otomyiasis in a 1-year-old girl is reported. A III instar larva of Sarcophaga sp. was microscopically identified and Sarcophaga (Liopygia) argyrostoma (Diptera, Sarcophagidae) was suspected. A molecular method targeting a fragment of the cox1 gene was used to confirm the identity of the specimen. Although myiases are not frequent manifestations in otolaryngology, they should arouse the attention of doctors, social workers and parents dealing with disabled people, the elderly and children. This contribution also highlights the need of combining microscopy and molecular tools to achieve a correct and reliable identification of the specimen/s

Strongylid nematodes shared between domestic and wild ruminants in the Maiella National Park (Abruzzo region, central Italy)

INTRODUCTION. Strongylid nematodes (SN) are recognized as a major concern to livestock production. As the control of SN relies heavily on the use of parasiticides, anthelminthic resistance (AR) is increasing (Barone et al., 2020 Vet Parasitol. 279: 109041). It is known that wild ruminants may harbor several SN that typically infect livestock andit is assumed that they couldalso act as reservoirs in the translocation of anthelmintic resistance (Chintoan-Uta et al., 2014 Proc Biol Sci. 281: 20132985). This risk is even increased where domestic and wild ruminants graze on the same pastures. The aim of the present study was to obtain novel information on the distribution of SN in sheep and wild ruminants (i.e. red deer, chamois) sharing the same pasture in the Maiella National Park. MATERIALS AND METHODS. A total of 20 faecal pool samples were collected from sheep (n. 7) and wild ruminants (n. 13) and examined by classic copromicroscopic tests. Gastrointestinal strongyle (GIS) positive pools were subjected to coprocolture. L3s were morphologically and molecularly identified (Gasser et al., 1993 Nucleic Acids Research. 21: 2525-26; van Wyk et al., 2013 Onderstepoort J Vet Res. 80: 539). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS. Thirteen faecal pools were positive for GIS and 16 pools for bronchopulmonary strongyles (BPS) (Table 1). The present data confirm that wild ruminants may harbor strongyle species that usually affect sheep (Zaffaroni et al., 2000 Vet Parasitol. 90: 221-30). Further studies are required to investigate the pattern of transmission of strongyles between domestic and wild ruminants and the role of wildlife in the spread of anthelmintic-resistant nematodes

Strongylid nematodes shared between domestic and wild ruminants in the Maiella National Park (Abruzzo region, central Italy)

INTRODUCTION. Strongylid nematodes (SN) are recognized as a major concern to livestock production. As the control of SN relies heavily on the use of parasiticides, anthelminthic resistance (AR) is increasing (Barone et al., 2020 Vet Parasitol. 279: 109041). It is known that wild ruminants may harbor several SN that typically infect livestock andit is assumed that they couldalso act as reservoirs in the translocation of anthelmintic resistance (Chintoan-Uta et al., 2014 Proc Biol Sci. 281: 20132985). This risk is even increased where domestic and wild ruminants graze on the same pastures. The aim of the present study was to obtain novel information on the distribution of SN in sheep and wild ruminants (i.e. red deer, chamois) sharing the same pasture in the Maiella National Park. MATERIALS AND METHODS. A total of 20 faecal pool samples were collected from sheep (n. 7) and wild ruminants (n. 13) and examined by classic copromicroscopic tests. Gastrointestinal strongyle (GIS) positive pools were subjected to coprocolture. L3s were morphologically and molecularly identified (Gasser et al., 1993 Nucleic Acids Research. 21: 2525-26; van Wyk et al., 2013 Onderstepoort J Vet Res. 80: 539). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS. Thirteen faecal pools were positive for GIS and 16 pools for bronchopulmonary strongyles (BPS) (Table 1). The present data confirm that wild ruminants may harbor strongyle species that usually affect sheep (Zaffaroni et al., 2000 Vet Parasitol. 90: 221-30). Further studies are required to investigate the pattern of transmission of strongyles between domestic and wild ruminants and the role of wildlife in the spread of anthelmintic-resistant nematodes

Exposure to zoonotic vector-borne pathogens in cats from Italy

Feline Vector-Borne Diseases (VBDs) are of growing concern in veterinary medicine and public health, for their role for animal and human health [1,2,3]. Nevertheless, there is a lack of data both on the epidemiology and clinical features. Thus, increasing the knowledge on these aspects is of great importance to raise awareness of VBDs and improve diagnostic approaches in clinical settings. This study evaluated the exposure of cats living in Central and Southern Italy to different VBDs caused by the following pathogens: Bartonella henselae, Rickettsia felis, Rickettsia typhi, Anaplasma platys, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia canis, Leishmania infantum and Dirofilaria immitis. One-hundred and sixty-seven privately owned cats from Abruzzo and Apulia regions (i.e. n. 122 and n. 45 respectively) were microscopically (blood smears) and serologically (Immunofluorescence Antibody Test -IFAT) tested. Out of these, 46 were also evaluated for anti-D. immitis antibodies. Complete blood count (CBC), and serum chemistry were obtained from 42 and 44 animals that scored positive to at least one of microscopic or serological evaluations, respectively. All samples were microscopically negative. Overall, 52/167 cats (31.1%) were positive at IFAT for at least one VBD, specifically 35 (28.7%) from Abruzzo and 17 (37.8%) from Apulia. Thirty cats (18%) were seropositive for B. henselae, while 18 (10.8%) and 7 (4.2%) tested positive for R. felis and R. typhi respectively. Five cats (3%) showed seroreaction against L. infantum, while 4 and 4 cats each showed seropositivity for A. phagocytophilum and E. canis. No cats were positive for A. platys. Two (4.3%) of 46 cats were positive for antibodies against D. immitis. Nine (17.3%) out of the 52 positive animals had at least one clinical sign, with non-specific and respiratory manifestations being the most recorded. Different CBC abnormalities were present in 33/42 (78.6%) cats while serum chemistry alterations in 35/44 (79.5%) animals, being basophilia and increased liver enzymes predominant. Twenty-five (48.1%) out of the 52 cats seropositive to at least one VBDs were housed indoor. These data suggest that cats may be frequently exposed to VBDs in the study areas, and that also privately owned cats are at risk. Control strategies remain crucial for the prevention of feline VBDs [4] and antiparasitic drugs should be administered regularly regardless the cat lifestyle and housing, to reduce the risk of infection and to protect both animal and human health