RESUMO
The aim of the current study was to investigate the exposure of captive wild felids to various infectious pathogens using serological and molecular methods. One hundred and fifty-nine neotropic felids and 51 exotic felids from 28 captive settings in Brazil were tested. While antibodies against Feline parvovirus and Feline coronavirus (FCoV), Feline calicivirus and Bartonella spp. were frequently detected by serologic tests, antibodies against Felid herpesvirus 1 or infection with hemotropic mycoplasmas were less prevalent. Serologic evidence of exposure to Ehrlichia spp., Feline immunodeficiency virus, and Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) was detected rarely, and infections with FeLV, Ehrlichia spp., and Cytauxzoon spp. were found infrequently. The detected Bartonella sequence was molecularly similar to B. koehlerae and B. henselae; for Cytauxzoon, the sequence resembled those from domestic cats. No Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Theileria spp. infections were detected. The positive test results varied significantly among different facilities and species. Additionally, FCoV seropositivity was more prevalent in captivity than in free-ranging populations. Results suggest that testing is appropriate prior to relocation of felids.
Assuntos
Animais Selvagens , Doenças do Gato/microbiologia , Doenças do Gato/virologia , Felidae , Animais , Animais Selvagens/microbiologia , Animais Selvagens/virologia , Animais de Zoológico/microbiologia , Animais de Zoológico/virologia , Anticorpos Antibacterianos/imunologia , Anticorpos Antivirais/imunologia , Brasil , Gatos/microbiologia , Gatos/virologia , Felidae/microbiologia , Felidae/virologia , Imunofluorescência/veterinária , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase/veterinária , Vigilância da População/métodos , Testes Sorológicos/veterináriaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: 'Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis' (CMtc) is a hemotrophic bacterial species that can, alone or in combination, induce anemia in cats. The diagnostic test of choice for hemoplasma infections is PCR. Conventional PCR assays have been developed for the detection of Mycoplasma haemofelis (Mhf) and 'Candidatus M. haemominutum' (CMhm) but not for CMtc. Although real-time PCR assays have been reported for all of the feline hemoplasmas, the expense of necessary instrumentation precludes its use in Brazil and many other countries. OBJECTIVES: The goals of this study were to develop and optimize a conventional PCR assay to diagnose CMtc using an internal control to detect false-negative results, and to evaluate the occurrence of CMtc infection in domestic cats from Brazil. METHODS: Species-specific primers were designed and a PCR assay was developed for the detection of CMtc 16S rDNA in cat blood. Sensitivity was determined by serial 10-fold dilutions of plasmid and DNA extracted from blood from an experimentally infected cat. EDTA blood samples from 373 cats were collected. DNA was extracted using a silica-based protocol and tested using the PCR assay. RESULTS: Primer concentration, annealing temperature, and MgCl(2) concentration were optimized in the presence and absence of the internal control. Two samples negative for the internal control were excluded. Of the remaining 371 samples (117 healthy and 254 unhealthy cats), 17 (4.6%) were positive for CMtc. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate the utility of an optimized PCR assay to detect CMtc in feline blood samples. We also report for the first time the prevalence of CMtc infection in domestic cats in Brazil.