Prevalence and Risk Factors for Bartonella spp. and Haemoplasma Infections in Cats from Greece
Abstract
:Simple Summary
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Ethics Approval
2.2. Study Population
2.3. Sample Collection and Laboratory Analyses
2.4. Serologic Testing
2.5. Molecular Analyses
2.6. PCR Protocol for Detection of Bartonella spp.
2.7. PCR Protocol for Detection of Haemoplasma Species
2.8. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Serological Testing for B. henselae (n = 452)
3.2. Risk Factors for B. henselae Seropositivity
3.3. PCR Validation
3.4. PCR Testing for Bartonella spp. and Haemoplasma Species (n = 242)
3.5. Risk Factors for Haemoplasma Species PCR Positivity
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Serology | PCR | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Signalment/Historical Data | Categories | Number of Cats (%) | Missing Data (%) | Number of Cats (%) | Missing Data (%) |
Age (years, range, median) | 0.125–17 (2) | 23 (5.1) | 0.125–15 (1) | 9 (3.7) | |
Sex | Male | 241 (53.3) | 0 (0) | 130 (53.7) | 0 (0) |
Female | 211 (46.7) | 112 (46.3) | |||
Neutered | 138 (30.5) | 6 (1.3) | 71 (29.3) | 3 (1.2) | |
Breed | Purebred | 15 (3.3) | 15 (3.3) | 2 (0.8) | 6 (2.5) |
Common European | 422 (93.4) | 234 (96.7) | |||
Living conditions | Indoors | 97 (21.5) | 22 (4.9) | 30 (12.4) | 7 (2.9) |
Outdoors (exclusively or partially) | 333 (73.7) | 205 (84.7) | |||
Geographic regions | Attica | 255 (56.4) | 0 (0) | 94 (38.8) | 0 (0) |
Crete | 79 (17.5) | 70 (28.9) | |||
Macedonia | 45 (10) | 18 (7.4) | |||
Thessaly | 73 (16.2) | 60 (24.8) | |||
Current ownership | Client-owned | 267 (59.1) | 9 (2) | 137 (56.6) | 2 (0.8) |
Stray | 155 (34.3) | 91 (37.6) | |||
Cattery | 21 (4.6) | 12 (5) | |||
Living area | Urban | 361 (79.9) | 23 (5.1) | 176 (72.7) | 8 (3.3) |
Rural | 68 (15) | 58 (24) | |||
Health status | Clinically healthy | 167 (36.9%) | 11 (2.4) | 74 (30.6) | 3 (1.2) |
Sick | 274 (60.6) | 165 (68.2) |
Bartonella henselae IgG Antibodies | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Variables | Categories | Missing Data | Seropositive (%) | Seronegative (%) | p Value |
Sex | Male | 0 | 78/160 (48.8%) | 163/292 (55.8%) | 0.15 a |
Female | 82/160 (51.2%) | 129/292 (44.2%) | |||
Neutered | 6 | 49/157 (31.2%) | 89/289 (30.8%) | 0.928 | |
Breed | Purebred | 15 | 2/154 (1.3%) | 13/283 (4.6%) | 0.071 a |
Common European breed | 152/154 (98.7%) | 270/283 (95.4%) | |||
Age (years) | 23 | 2 (0.13–17) | 1 (0.13–15) | <0.001 a | |
Cat acquisition | Stray | 93 | 87/118 (73.7%) | 170/241 (70.5%) | 0.529 |
Non-stray | 31/118 (26.3%) | 71/241 (29.5%) | |||
Current ownership | Client-owned | 9 | 94/157 (59.9%) | 173/286 (60.5%) | 0.081 a |
Stray | 60/157 (38.2%) | 95/286 (33.2%) | |||
Cattery | 3/157 (1.9%) | 18/286 (6.3%) | |||
Living conditions | Indoors | 22 | 21/150 (14%) | 76/280 (27.1%) | 0.002 a |
Outdoors | 129/150 (86%) | 204/280 (72.9%) | |||
Living area | Urban | 23 | 120/149 (80.5%) | 241/280 (86.1%) | 0.135 a |
Rural | 29/149 (19.5%) | 39/280 (13.9%) | |||
Geographic region | Attica | 0 | 97/160 (60.6%) | 158/292 (54.1%) | 0.024 |
Thessaly | 16/160 (10%) | 57/292 (19.5%) | |||
Crete | 34/160 (21.3%) | 45/292 (15.4%) | |||
Macedonia | 13/160 (8.1%) | 32/292 (11%) | |||
Contact with other cats | 57 | 131/141 (92.9%) | 208/254 (81.8%) | 0.003 a | |
History of cat-fight trauma | 253 | 15/55 (27.3%) | 31/144 (21.5%) | 0.39 | |
Use of ectoparasiticides | 187 | 56/91 (61.5%) | 101/174 (58%) | 0.583 | |
Flea infestation | 11 | 43/156 (27.6%) | 44/285 (15.4%) | 0.002 a | |
Tick infestation | 12 | 5/156 (3.2%) | 2/284 (0.7%) | 0.103 a |
Variables | Categories | Positivity (%) | OR | CI | p Value |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Bartonella henselae | |||||
Age a | 1.1 | 1.03–1.18 | 0.005 | ||
Living conditions | Indoors | 21/97 (21.6%) | Reference | ||
Outdoors | 129/333 (38.7%) | 2.17 | 1.2–3.95 | 0.02 | |
Geographic region | Thessaly | 16/73 (21.9%) | Reference | ||
Attica | 97/255 (38%) | 2.53 | 1.29–4.93 | 0.006 | |
Crete | 34/79 (43%) | 2.95 | 1.35–6.28 | 0.006 | |
Flea infestation | No | 113/354 (31.9%) | Reference | ||
Yes | 43/87 (49.4%) | 1.73 | 1.02–2.92 | 0.041 | |
2. Haemoplasma species | |||||
Use of ectoparasiticides | No | 21/80 (26.2%) | Reference | ||
Yes | 8/83 (9.6%) | 0.29 | 0.12–0.72 | 0.007 |
Haemoplasma Species PCR Status | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Variables | Categories | Missing Data | Positive (%) | Negative (%) | p Value |
Sex | Male | 0 | 25/46 (54.3%) | 105/196 (53.6%) | 0.924 |
Female | 21/46 (45.7%) | 91/196 (46.4%) | |||
Neutered | 3 | 11/45 (24.4%) | 60/194 (30.9%) | 0.391 | |
Breed | Purebred | 6 | 0/44 (0%) | 44/44 (100%) | 1 |
Crossbreed | 2/190 (1%) | 190/192 (99%) | |||
Age (years) | 9 | 2 (0.13–8) | 1 (0.13–15) | 0.705 | |
Cat acquisition | Client-owned | 9/32 (28.1%) | 47/152 (30.9%) | 0.879 | |
Stray | 58 | 20/32 (62.5%) | 92/152 (60.5%) | ||
Cattery | 3/32 (9.4%) | 11/152 (7.2%) | |||
Pet shop | 0/32 (0%) | 2/152 (1.3%) | |||
Current ownership | Client-owned | 22/45 (48.9%) | 115/195 (59%) | 0.453 | |
Stray | 2 | 20/45 (44.4%) | 71/195 (36.4%) | ||
Cattery | 3/45 (6.7%) | 9/195 (4.6%) | |||
Living conditions | Indoors | 7 | 2/44 (4.5%) | 28/191 (14.7%) | 0.07 a |
Outdoors | 42/44 (95.5%) | 163/191 (85.3%) | |||
Living area | Urban | 8 | 31/44 (70.5%) | 145/190 (76.3%) | 0.417 |
Rural | 13/44 (29.5%) | 45/190 (23.7%) | |||
Geographic region | Attica | 12/46 (26.1%) | 82/196 (41.8%) | 0.238 | |
Thessaly | 0 | 13/46 (28.3%) | 47/196 (24%) | ||
Crete | 16/46 (34.8%) | 54/196 (27.6%) | |||
Macedonia | 5/46 (10.9%) | 13/196 (6.6%) | |||
Contact with other cats | 11 | 43/44 (97.7%) | 174/187 (93%) | 0.479 | |
History of cat-fight trauma | 120 | 4/19 (21.1%) | 24/103 (23.3%) | 1 | |
Use of ectoparasiticides | 79 | 8/29 (27.6%) | 75/134 (56%) | 0.006 a | |
Flea infestation | 6 | 14/45 (31.1%) | 49/191 (25.7%) | 0.457 | |
Tick infestation | 7 | 1/45 (2.2%) | 4/190 (2.1%) | 1 |
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Kokkinaki, K.C.G.; Saridomichelakis, M.N.; Skampardonis, V.; Mataragka, A.; Ikonomopoulos, J.; Leontides, L.; Mylonakis, M.E.; Steiner, J.M.; Suchodolski, J.S.; Xenoulis, P.G. Prevalence and Risk Factors for Bartonella spp. and Haemoplasma Infections in Cats from Greece. Vet. Sci. 2022, 9, 337. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9070337
Kokkinaki KCG, Saridomichelakis MN, Skampardonis V, Mataragka A, Ikonomopoulos J, Leontides L, Mylonakis ME, Steiner JM, Suchodolski JS, Xenoulis PG. Prevalence and Risk Factors for Bartonella spp. and Haemoplasma Infections in Cats from Greece. Veterinary Sciences. 2022; 9(7):337. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9070337
Chicago/Turabian StyleKokkinaki, Kassiopi Christina G., Manolis N. Saridomichelakis, Vassilis Skampardonis, Antonia Mataragka, John Ikonomopoulos, Leonidas Leontides, Mathios E. Mylonakis, Joerg M. Steiner, Jan S. Suchodolski, and Panagiotis G. Xenoulis. 2022. "Prevalence and Risk Factors for Bartonella spp. and Haemoplasma Infections in Cats from Greece" Veterinary Sciences 9, no. 7: 337. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9070337