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Almendros A, Choi YR, Leung TL, Tam WYJ, Hernandez Muguiro D, Woodhouse FM, Gray JJ, Beatty JA, Barrs VR. Low prevalence of Babesia hongkongensis infection in community and privately-owned cats in Hong Kong. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2024; 15:102278. [PMID: 37979475 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
Domestic cats are susceptible to infection with at least 11 species of Babesia. In Hong Kong, where dogs are commonly infected with B. gibsoni, a single infection in a cat by a novel species, B. hongkongensis, was reported previously. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of Babesia spp. detection in cats in Hong Kong. Residual blood-derived DNA from healthy free-roaming community cats (n = 239), and privately-owned cats with and without anaemia undergoing diagnostic investigations (n = 125) was tested for Babesia spp. DNA using a pan-Babesia PCR targeting mitochondrial Cytochrome B, and a B. hongkongensis specific PCR targeting 18S rRNA. Positive samples were confirmed by sequencing and comparative sequence analysis against the GenBank nucleotide database. Babesia hongkongensis was detected in 4/239 (1.7 %) community cats, and 0/125 (0.0 %) privately-owned cats. Babesia gibsoni was detected in 0/239 community cats and 1/125 (0.8 %) privately-owned cats. Cats infected with B. hongkongensis were clinically healthy at the time of sampling. The B. gibsoni-infected cat was anaemic and thrombocytopenic. Cats in Hong Kong can be infected with B. hongkongensis and B. gibsoni, albeit at low frequency. The tick vector for B. hongkongensis is yet to be identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Almendros
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China.
| | - Y R Choi
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China; Centre for Animal Health and Welfare, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China
| | - T L Leung
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China
| | - W Y J Tam
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China
| | - D Hernandez Muguiro
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China
| | - F M Woodhouse
- The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Wan Chai, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China
| | - J J Gray
- The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Wan Chai, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China
| | - J A Beatty
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China; Centre for Animal Health and Welfare, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China
| | - V R Barrs
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China; Centre for Animal Health and Welfare, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China
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Wu S, Meng J, Yu F, Zhou C, Yang B, Chen X, Yang G, Sun Y, Cao W, Jiang J, Wu J, Zhan L. Molecular epidemiological investigation of piroplasms carried by pet cats and dogs in an animal hospital in Guiyang, China. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1266583. [PMID: 37901826 PMCID: PMC10602747 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1266583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Piroplasmosis is a zoonotic disease mainly caused by the Babesia and Theileria parasites. Piroplasmosis is often a subclinical infection in dogs and cats that is difficult to detect and is often suspected when clinical signs such as anemia are present. It has been reported to be prevalent in China. However, molecular evidence of the disease has not been reported in pet dogs and cats in Guiyang. In this study, we collected 307 anticoagulated blood samples from an animal hospital in the Wudang District of Guiyang during the period March 2021 to November 2021 and extracted DNA from the samples. The 18S rDNA gene was amplified using PCR, and the positive amplification product was sequenced. The sequences were then analyzed for homology and phylogeny. Of the 307 samples collected, 164 were feline and 143 were canine, with a total of 23 amplifying a target band of approximately 400 bp. The percentage of positives of piroplasms infection in pet cats was 4.27% (7/164), with the pathogens being T. uilenbergi (3) and T. luwenshuni (4). One Colpodella sp. and two undetermined species were also detected in the cat samples. The percentage of positives of piroplasms infection in pet dogs was 7.69% (11/143), with the pathogen being T. uilenbergi (11). One Colpodella sp. was also detected in the dog samples. The results confirmed that T. uilenbergi and T. luwenshuni are prevalent in pet cats and dogs in this area. In addition, the study found a rare zoonotic pathogen, Colpodella sp., in cats and dogs. Therefore, this study is expected to serve as a valuable reference for decision-making regarding animal health management and public health work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengchun Wu
- School of Public Health, The Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Jiao Meng
- School of Public Health, The Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Fuxun Yu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, China
| | - Caomin Zhou
- Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guizhou Provincial Institute of Nephritic and Urinary Disease, Guiyang, China
| | - Bin Yang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, China
| | - Xingxing Chen
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, China
| | - Guanghong Yang
- Guizhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guiyang, China
| | - Yi Sun
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wuchun Cao
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiafu Jiang
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiahong Wu
- School of Public Health, The Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Lin Zhan
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, China
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Almendros A, Choi YR, Bęczkowski PM, Baiker K, Barrs VR, Beatty JA. Babesia gibsoni Infection in a Cat with Immune-Mediated Haemolytic Anaemia and Thrombocytopenia. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2128. [PMID: 37443927 DOI: 10.3390/ani13132128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Tick-borne haemoparasite Babesia gibsoni has been detected rarely in cats, in surveys of apparently healthy animals. In stored blood from a 6-year-old male-neutered domestic shorthair cat in Hong Kong, B. gibsoni DNA was detected retrospectively using PCR for Babesia spp. 18S rRNA and mitochondrial cytochrome B genes, followed by sequencing and basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) analysis. The cat presented with severe haemolytic anaemia and thrombocytopenia. The cat responded to supportive care and glucocorticoids and was clinically normal despite persistent subclinical thrombocytopenia until six months after presentation, when it succumbed to a fatal haemorrhagic episode. Necropsy revealed severe intestinal and pulmonary haemorrhage and hypocellular bone marrow with megakaryocytosis but no other causes of immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (IMTP) or immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia (IMHA). Blood stored on days 158 and 180 tested PCR negative for Babesia spp. This report demonstrates that geographic range of B. gibsoni detection in cats includes Hong Kong. The exclusion of other causes suggests that B. gibsoni might have potentially played a role in triggering immune-mediated disease in this case.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel Almendros
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Y R Choi
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Paweł M Bęczkowski
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Kerstin Baiker
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Vanessa R Barrs
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Julia A Beatty
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Yin F, Mu D, Tian Z, Li D, Ma X, Wang J, Guan G, Yin H, Li F. Correction: Yin et al. Molecular Detection of Babesia gibsoni in Cats in China. Animals 2022, 12, 3066. Animals (Basel) 2022; 13:ani13010138. [PMID: 36611794 PMCID: PMC9817781 DOI: 10.3390/ani13010138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
In the original publication [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangyuan Yin
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Daoe Mu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Zhuojia Tian
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Dong Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Xiting Ma
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Jinming Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Lanzhou 730046, China
| | - Guiquan Guan
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Lanzhou 730046, China
| | - Hong Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Lanzhou 730046, China
- Correspondence: (H.Y.); (F.L.)
| | - Facai Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Correspondence: (H.Y.); (F.L.)
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