Title:
PREVALENCE OF HAEMOTROPIC MYCOPLASMAS IN CATS BY REAL-TIME POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION IN SPAIN
Type:
Free Communication
Topic:
Feline Medicine
Companies:
(1) ARS VETERINARIA
(2) IDEXX LABORATORIOS
Authors:
Raquel Santiago Tostado (1)
Luis Feo Bernabé (1)
Jaume Rodon Vernet (2)
Jordi Puig Prat (1)
Paper:
RESUMEN CORTO - SHORT SUMMARY

The haemoplasmas are haemotropic gram-negative wall-less bacteria that parasitise red blood cells and can induce haemolytic anemia. The three main haemoplasma species are known to infect cats are Mycoplasma haemofelis(Mhf), ‘CandidatusMycoplasma haemominutum’ (CMhm) and ‘CandidatusMycoplasma turicensis’ (CMt).1,2Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays are now the diagnostic method of choice for haemoplasma infection.1,3

In Europe, PCR prevalence studies performed in Spain, Portugal, Italy, England, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark have reported an overall prevalence of Mycoplasma species ranging from 7.2% to 43.43%.2-11CMhm is the most common followed by Mhf and CMt.1Differences in prevalence among countries could be explained by geographical variations, such as climate or vector distribution and feline population.1(Table 1)

In the present study, the prevalence of CMhm and Mhf infection (13.5 % for CMhm, 10 % for Mhf) was 23.5% and 4% for CMt. Co-infections were observed in fifty-four cats, being CMhm and Mhf the most common presentation.  

This study confirms that CMhm is the most common haemoplasma in Spain. Prevalence of all feline haemaoplasmas is similar to that found in other European countries. 



BIBLIOGRAFÍA

 

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