Intestinal Parasites and Fecal Cortisol Metabolites in Multi-Unowned-Cat Environments: The Impact of Housing Conditions
Abstract
:Simple Summary
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Population
2.2. Fecal Score Test and Parasitology Analyses
2.3. Fecal Cortisol Metabolite (FCM) Detection
Steroid Validation Test
2.4. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Validation Test
3.2. Sampling
3.3. Fecal Score Test and Parasitology Analyses
3.4. Housing Conditions and Parasite Infection
3.5. Fecal Cortisol Metabolite Values
3.6. FCM and Parasite Infection
3.7. FCM and Housing Conditions
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A. Questionnaire
Animal ID | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Date of sample collection | Location | |||
Age | ||||
Housing model | ||||
Rescue shelter | Cattery | Feline colony | ||
N animals/setting | ||||
Samples | ||||
FST | ||||
Coprological results | Parasites detected | |||
Management | ||||
Deworming | Y | N | ||
Drug | ||||
Oral | Spot-on | Other (specify) | ||
Frequency | ||||
Date of last deworming | ||||
Any coprological control? | Regular | Occasional | Never | |
If yes, results: | Date | |||
Environment disinfection protocol | Product | |||
Frequency | ||||
Housing conditions | ||||
Floor space | >3 m2/cat | 1.67–3 m2/cat | <1.67 m2/cat | |
Exposure to dogs | High | Low | No contact | |
Environmental enrichment | Provided | No provided | ||
Changes in group composition | Frequent | Low | ||
Facilities | ||||
Box | Number of animals/box | |||
Floor material | Concrete | Soil | Other (specifiy) | |
Tray material | Litter | Soil | Other (specifiy) |
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Multi-Cat Environments | Rescue Shelters | Catteries | Feline Colonies | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cat fecal samples (n) | n = 157 | n = 104 | n = 107 | n = 368 |
Parasites | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) |
Protozoa | 61 (38.8%) | 20 (19.2%) | 39 (36.4%) | 120 (32.6%) |
Giardia spp. | 35 (22.3%) | 13 (12.5%) | 14 (13.1%) | 62 (16.8%) |
Cystoisospora spp. | 39 (24.8%) | 8 (7.7%) | 29 (27.1%) | 76 (20.6%) |
Helminths | 48 (30.5%) | 21 (20.2%) | 73 (68.2%) | 142 (38.6%) |
Tapeworms | 16 (10.2%) | 8 (7.7%) | 24 (22.4%) | 48 (13%) |
Toxocara cati | 21 (13.3%) | 4 (3.8%) | 20 (18.7%) | 45 (12.2%) |
Toxascaris leonina | 0 | 1 (0.9%) | 0 | 1 (0.2%) |
Hookworms | 11 (7%) | 4 (3.8%) | 52 (48.6%) | 67 (18.2%) |
Metastrongylidae | 11 (7%) | 8 (7.7%) | 21 (19.6%) | 40 (10.8%) |
Capillaria sp./Eucoleus sp. | 0 | 0 | 5 (4.6%) | 5 (1.3%) |
Total | 90 (57.3%) | 36 (34.6%) | 88 (82.2%) | 214 (58.2%) |
Fecal Cortisol Metabolite (ng/g) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Variable/Category | N | Average | SD | p-Value | |
Parasite infection | + | 214 | 34.29 | 25.17 | 0.021 * |
− | 154 | 33.14 | 31.09 | ||
Protozoa infection | + | 120 | 38.11 | 30.28 | 0.0150 * |
− | 248 | 31.73 | 26.28 | ||
Giardia infection | + | 62 | 40 | 32.09 | 0.056 |
− | 306 | 32.56 | 26.69 | ||
Helminth Infection | + | 142 | 31.71 | 21.99 | 0.905 |
− | 226 | 35.13 | 30.82 | ||
Fecal score test (FST) | ≥5 | 100 | 33.94 | 22.72 | |
≤4 | 268 | 33.77 | 29.47 |
Fecal Cortisol Metabolite (ng/g) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Welfare Parameters in Housing Conditions | Multi-Cat Environment (n) ** | N | Average | SD | p-Value | |
Floor space | <1.67 m2/cat | Rescue shelters (n = 38) | 38 | 44.71 | 35.99 | 0.016 * |
1.67–3 m2/cat | Rescue shelters (n = 119) Catteries (n = 104) | 223 | 34.68 | 29.96 | ||
>3 m2/cat | Free-roaming cats (n = 107) | 107 | 28.13 | 16.15 | ||
Dog exposure | Visual contact | Rescue shelters (n = 31) | 31 | 44.82 | 38.99 | 0.093 |
Audible barking noise | Rescue shelters (n = 126) Feline colonies (n = 68) | 194 | 33.17 | 26.61 | ||
No dogs | Catteries (n = 104) Feline colonies (n = 39) | 143 | 32.30 | 26.07 | ||
Changes to group composition | High turnover | Rescue shelters (n = 157) Catteries (n = 93) | 250 | 36.31 | 31.40 | 0.338 |
Low turnover | Feline colonies (n = 107) Cattery (n = 11) | 118 | 28.52 | 16.69 |
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Blasco, X.; Manteca, X.; López-Béjar, M.; Carbajal, A.; Castellà, J.; Ortuño, A. Intestinal Parasites and Fecal Cortisol Metabolites in Multi-Unowned-Cat Environments: The Impact of Housing Conditions. Animals 2021, 11, 1300. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051300
Blasco X, Manteca X, López-Béjar M, Carbajal A, Castellà J, Ortuño A. Intestinal Parasites and Fecal Cortisol Metabolites in Multi-Unowned-Cat Environments: The Impact of Housing Conditions. Animals. 2021; 11(5):1300. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051300
Chicago/Turabian StyleBlasco, Xavier, Xavier Manteca, Manel López-Béjar, Anaïs Carbajal, Joaquim Castellà, and Anna Ortuño. 2021. "Intestinal Parasites and Fecal Cortisol Metabolites in Multi-Unowned-Cat Environments: The Impact of Housing Conditions" Animals 11, no. 5: 1300. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051300
APA StyleBlasco, X., Manteca, X., López-Béjar, M., Carbajal, A., Castellà, J., & Ortuño, A. (2021). Intestinal Parasites and Fecal Cortisol Metabolites in Multi-Unowned-Cat Environments: The Impact of Housing Conditions. Animals, 11(5), 1300. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051300