Molecular detection and prevalence of feline hemotropic mycoplasmas in Istanbul, Turkey

Molecular prevalence and phylogenetic analysis of hemotropic Mycoplasma species in cats in different regions of Iran

BACKGROUND

Hemotropic Mycoplasma species (hemoplasmas) cause hemolytic anemia in cats worldwide and are recognized as emerging zoonotic pathogens. There is no comprehensive study on the prevalence and species diversity of hemoplasmas in domestic cat populations in different regions in Iran. Thus, the aims of the present study were to provide data on the prevalence and molecular characterization of hemotropic Mycoplasma species in apparently healthy cats from six Iranian provinces with different climates. In addition, potential risk factors associated with hemoplasmosis in cats were assessed.

RESULTS

Mycoplasma spp. DNA was detected in the blood of 56 / 361 cats (15.5%) using genus-specific PCR. Further examinations with species-specific PCR and Sanger sequencing showed that 38 cats (10.5%) tested positive for Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum (CMhm), 8 cats (2.2%) tested positive for Mycoplasma haemofelis (Mhf), and 2 cats (0.6%) tested positive for Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis (CMt). Co-infection with CMhm, and Mhf was observed in 7 cats (1.9%). One cat (0.3%) showed mixed infection with CMhm, Mhf, and CMt. There were statistically significant relationships between Mycoplasma positivity and being female, living in shelter (cattery), and being over 3 years old (P < 0.05). No significant association was observed for the cat breed and sampling localities.

CONCLUSIONS

Current study findings revealed that hemoplasma infections are common among Iran cat populations. Considering the impact of such emerging zoonotic pathogens on the One Health, routine screenings, increasing public awareness, effective control, and prophylactic strategies for minimizing infection in cats and subsequently in human are strongly recommended.

A case of mistaken identity: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and reinvestigation of hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. infection in Ctenocephalides felis (cat flea)

BACKGROUND

Feline-associated hemotropic Mycoplasma (hemoplasmas) are believed to be transmitted by two primary mechanisms: (1) direct transmission via fighting and (2) vector-borne transmission by the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis). While the efficiency of transmission by C. felis appears low, most manuscripts focus on the prevalence of hemoplasmas in wild-caught fleas and report either a very low (< 3%) or a high (> 26%) prevalence. Therefore, we aimed to assess the influence of sample processing and PCR methods on C. felis hemoplasma infection prevalence.

METHODS

A systemic review of PubMed articles identified 13 manuscripts (1,531 fleas/flea pools) that met the inclusion criteria (performed PCR for >1 hemoplasma on C. felis collected from cats). Risk of bias was assessed utilizing the ROBINS-E tool. Meta-analysis performed in R of these manuscripts found that not washing samples and a common set of 16S rRNA primers first published in Jensen et al. 2001 were associated with increased hemoplasma prevalence. To evaluate the influence of washing on newly collected fleas, we assessed the hemoplasma status of 20 pools of 5 C. felis each, half of which were washed and half not washed.

RESULTS

Flea washing did not influence the detection of hemoplasma but instead amplified Spiroplasma. To assess non-specific amplification with the Jensen et al. 2001 primers, 67 C. felis samples (34% previously reported hemoplasma infected) were subject to PCR and sequencing. By this method, hemoplasma was detected in only 3% of samples. In the remaining "hemoplasma infected" fleas, PCR amplified Spiroplasma or other bacteria.

CONCLUSIONS

Therefore, we concluded that hemoplasma infection in C. felis is rare, and future flea prevalence studies should sequence all positive amplicons to validate PCR specificity. Further investigation of alternative methods of feline-associated hemoplasma transmission and the ability of C. felis to maintain hemoplasma infection is necessary.

Conversion to Total Hip Arthroplasty After Hip Arthroscopy: A Cohort-Based Survivorship Study With a Minimum of 2-Year Follow-up

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this study was to determine which patient, provider, and surgical factors influence progression to total hip arthroplasty (THA) after hip arthroscopy (HA) through a large cohort-based registry.

METHODS

All patients ≥18 years who underwent unilateral HA in Ontario, Canada, between October 1, 2010, and December 31, 2016, were identified with a minimum of 2-year follow-up. The rate of THA after HA was reported using Kaplan-Meier survivorship analyses. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess which factors independently influenced survivorship.

RESULTS

A total of 2,545 patients (53.2% female, mean age 37.4 ± 11.8 years) were identified. A total of 237 patients (9.3%) were identified to have undergone THA at a median time of 2 years after HA, with an additional 6.3% requiring a revision arthroplasty at a median time of 1.1 years. Patients who underwent isolated labral resection (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.51 to 4.60) or in combination with osteochondroplasty (OCP) [HR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.22 to 3.88] were more likely to undergo THA versus patients who underwent isolated labral repair or in combination with an OCP, respectively. Older age increased the risk for THA (HR: 14.0, 95% CI: 5.76 to 39.1), and treatment by the highest-volume HA surgeons was found to be protective (HR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.33 to 0.89).

DISCUSSION

Using our methods, the rate of THA after HA was 9.3% at 2 years. The rate of revision arthroplasty was 6.3% at 1 year. Patients who underwent labral resection, isolated OCP, and/or were of increased age were at increased independent risk of conversion to THA. Those treated by the highest-volume HA surgeons were found to be at reduced risk of conversion to THA.

Protozoan and Microbial Pathogens of House Cats in the Province of Tekirdag in Western Turkey

Domestic felines’ re-emerging infectious and neglected zoonotic diseases are a significant focus of global “One Health” efforts. This study aimed to rapidly diagnose 14 pathogens, including zoonoses by using PCR primers in 167 client-owned symptomatic cats, routinely accepted to the Veterinary Clinics of Tekirdag. The prevalence of pathogens investigated were as follows: Babesia canis canis (24%), Babesia microti (2.4%), Hepatozoon felis (10.8%), Cytauxzoon felis (6.6%), Bartonella henselae (40.1%), Anaplasma platys (30.5%), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (7.2%), Rickettsia felis (26.3%), Borrelia burgdorferi (21%), and hemotropic Mycoplasma sp. (11.4%). There was a significant difference between the prevalence of the pathogens (χ² = 152.26, df = 9, p < 0.001). There was also a statistical difference between the gender of the cats in terms of the prevalence of all pathogens considered together (χ² = 4.80, df = 1, p = 0.028), where the female cats showed a higher prevalence. This was not the case for the different age groups (χ² = 2.92, df = 1, p = 0.088). The lowest infection was observed for B. microti (p < 0.001), while the highest infection was observed for B. henselae (p < 0.01). Leishmania donovani, Plasmodium spp., Ehrlichia chaffeensis, and Neoehrlichia mikurensis PCR test results were negative in all samples. In conclusion, house cats of Tekirdag are apparently highly susceptible to some neglected zoonoses important for “One Health”, and their prevalence in the region is most probably underestimated. Hence, applying PCR tests to assist fast clinic diagnosis in routine, may be an efficient option to protect the public as well as the cats from severe diseases.

Prevalence of hemotropic mycoplasmas and coinfection with feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus in cats in the Moscow region, Russia

Feline haemoplasma infection studies are lacking in Russia. This retrospective study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of feline haemoplasmas in domestic cats in the Moscow region, Russia. A risk of haemoplasma coinfection with feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) was also determined. qPCR analysis for feline haemoplasmas was performed on EDTA blood samples from 753 cats from the Moscow region, Russia. Subsets of these samples were tested also for FIV and FeLV by qPCR. Of the 753 blood samples, 104 (13.8 %) were positive for one of the Mycoplasma species. The prevalence of 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum' (CMhm), Mycoplasma haemofelis (Mhf), and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis' (CMt) was 7.6 %, 5.5 %, and 0.7 %, respectively. One sample (0.1 %) was simultaneously infected with two haemoplasmas, namely, Mhf and CMt. Haemoplasma positive cats were more likely to be infected with FIV than haemoplasma negative (17.6 % vs 6.7 %), but these differences were not statistically significant. The prevalence of FeLV was comparable among haemoplasma positive and negative cats (23.5 % vs 25.7 %) All three known species of feline haemoplasma were detected, confirming their presence in Russia. The overall and species-specific rates of haemoplasma infections in Russian cats are generally similar to the rates in the countries of central Europe. This report documents for the first time the prevalence of feline hemotropic mycoplasmas in domestic cats not only in Russia but also in eastern Europe.

Molecular Characterization of Hemoparasites and Hemoplasmas Infecting Domestic Cats of Southern India

In the present study, 111 blood samples were collected from apparently healthy cats belonging to four districts of Kerala, southern India, and they were investigated for the presence of hemoparasites and hemoplasmas by light microscopic examination and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The microscopic examination of the Giemsa-stained blood smears did not reveal any parasites/organisms. However, PCR followed by nucleotide sequencing could detect 10 (9.01%) out of 111 samples infected with Hepatozoon felis, 3 (2.70%) with Cytauxzoon spp., and 10 (9.01%) with Mycoplasma spp. None of the samples revealed amplicons specific for the Babesia spp. and Trypanosoma evansi. The phylogenetic analysis of 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequences of H. felis revealed the existence of two different populations of H. felis circulating in the blood of infected cats. The phylogenetic tree was constructed based on 18S rRNA gene sequences of Cytauxzoon spp. and revealed that these isolates formed a distinct clade and do not cluster with any of the isolates from other countries. Among the 10 samples positive for Mycoplasma spp. infections, 7 were detected positive for Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum, two for Mycoplasma haemofelis, and one for Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences of Mycoplasma spp. showed no distinct geographical grouping of the sequences. The sequences of M. haemofelis, Candidatus M. haemominutum, and Candidatus M. turicensis identified in the study clustered along with their respective isolates from around the world. To the best of our knowledge, this study forms the first report of molecular detection of Cytauxzoon spp. and Candidatus M. turicensis in cats from India.