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

Endoparasites of european wildcats (Felis silvestris) in Greece

The European wildcat (Felis silvestris) is the only wild felid living in Greece. Wildcat populations are declining due to anthropogenic and phenological unfavourable conditions, and parasites may have an additional negative impact. In the present study, the occurrence of endoparasites in wildcats in Greece and the potential threats posed to wildcats, domestic animals, and humans in the study areas has been investigated. In a six-year period, 23 road-killed wildcats and 62 wildcat faecal samples were collected from different areas of the country. Necropsy for the detection of endopara-sites and standard parasitological examinations of faecal samples were performed. Parasites were morphologically identified and, in selected cases, molecularly analysed. All necropsied wildcats (100%) were infected by three to 10 different parasite taxa, with the most prevalent being Taenia taeniaeformis (73.9%), Toxocara cati (60.9%), Angiostrongylus chabaudi (56.5%), Ancylostoma tubaeforme (39.1%), Cylicospirura spp. (34.8%), Troglostrongylus brevior (34.8%), and Capillaria aerophila (33.8%). Of the 62 faecal samples examined, 53 (85.5%) were positive for one or more parasite elements (larvae, eggs, or oocysts). The most frequent were T. cati (45.2%), A. chabaudi (29%), C. aerophila (24.2%), and Ancylostomatidae (17.7%). This is the first survey on endoparasites affecting wildcats in Greece. Some of the parasites here found are frequent in domestic and wild felids, while others, i.e., Oslerus rostratus and Cylicospirura petrowi, were described for the first time in the European wildcat. Most of them have a significant pathogenic potential, causing severe to hazardous diseases to infected felids and some, under specific circumstances, can also threaten human health

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

Endoparasites and vector-borne pathogens in dogs from greek islands: Pathogen distribution and zoonotic implications

The present study investigated the presence of endo-and ecto-parasites, and vector-borne pathogens, in dogs from four islands of Greece. A total of 200 (123 owned and 77 sheltered) dogs were examined with different microscopic, serological and molecular methods. Of the examined dogs, 130 (65%) were positive for one or more parasites and/or vector-borne pathogens. The most common zoonotic intestinal helminths recorded were Ancylos-tomatidae (12.5%) and Toxocara canis (3.5%). Ninety-three dogs (46.5%) seroreacted to Rickettsia conorii. Twenty-two (11%) of them were also PCR positive and 7 (3.5%) showed corpuscles suggestive of Rickettsia spp. on the blood smears. Nineteen dogs (9.5%) were seropositive for Ehrlichia canis, three of them being also PCR positive. Dogs positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum-Anaplasma platys (1%), Dirofilaria immitis (0.5%) and Babesia canis (0.5%) were also found. Fleas and ticks were recorded in 53 (26.5%) and 50 (25%) dogs, respectively, and all specimens were identified as Ctenocephalides felis felis and Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato. Binary multiple univariate Generalized Linear Models were used to investigate factors and clinical signs related to the recorded positivity, while the association of specific signs with the pathogens was evaluated using tests of independence. Knowledge of occurrence and impact of zoonotic parasites and vector-borne pathogens in dog populations is crucial to prevent the infection in animals and people, and to control the risk of spreading of these pathogens in endemic and non-endemic areas

Investigating the effect of independent blinded digital image assessment on the STOP GAP trial

Background Blinding is the process of keeping treatment assignment hidden and is used to minimise the possibility of bias. Trials at high risk of bias have been shown to report larger treatment effects than low risk studies. In dermatology, one popular method of blinding is to have independent outcome assessors who are unaware of treatment allocation assessing the end point using digital photographs. However, this can be complex, expensive and time-consuming. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of blinded and unblinded outcome assessment on the results of the STOP GAP trial. Methods The STOP GAP trial compared prednisolone to ciclosporin in treating pyoderma gangrenosum. Participants’ lesions were measured at baseline and 6 weeks to calculate the primary outcome, speed of healing. Independent blinded assessors obtained measurements from digital photographs using specialist software. In addition, unblinded treating clinicians estimated lesion area by measuring length and width. The primary outcome was determined using blinded measurements where available, otherwise unblinded measurements were used (method referred to as trial measurements). In this study, agreement between the trial and unblinded measurements was determined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The STOP GAP primary analysis was repeated using unblinded measurements only. We introduced differential and non-differential error in unblinded measurements and investigated the effect on the STOP GAP primary analysis. Results 86 (80%) of the 108 patients were assessed using digital images. Agreement between trial and unblinded measurements was excellent (ICC=0.92 at baseline; 0.83 at 6 weeks). There was no evidence that the results of the trial primary analysis differed according to how the primary outcome was assessed (p-value for homogeneity = 1.00). Conclusions Blinded digital image assessment in STOP GAP did not meaningfully alter trial conclusions compared with unblinded assessment. However, as the process brought added accuracy and credibility to the trial it was considered worthwhile. These findings question the usefulness of digital image assessment in a trial with an objective outcome and where bias is not expected to be excessive. Further research should investigate if there are alternative, less complex ways of incorporating blinding in clinical trials