Occurrence and zoonotic potential of endoparasites in cats of Cyprus and a new distribution area for Troglostrongylus brevior

Diakou, Anastasia; Sofroniou, Dimitra; Di Cesare, Angela; Kokkinos, Panagiotis; Traversa, Donato

doi:10.1007/s00436-017-5651-3

Short Communication
Published: 16 October 2017

Occurrence and zoonotic potential of endoparasites in cats of Cyprus and a new distribution area for Troglostrongylus brevior

Anastasia Diakou ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8347-0769¹,
Dimitra Sofroniou²,
Angela Di Cesare³,
Panagiotis Kokkinos⁴ &
Donato Traversa³

Parasitology Research volume 116, pages 3429–3435 (2017)Cite this article

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Abstract

The present study investigated for the first time the occurrence of pulmonary and intestinal parasites of cats in Cyprus. Cats from five districts of Cyprus (Lefkosia, Lemesos, Larnaka, Pafos and Ammochostos) were examined by classical parasitological methods and the identity of lungworm larvae, whenever present, was confirmed by PCR-coupled sequencing. A total of 185 cats, 48 living exclusively indoors and 137 with outdoor access, were included in the study. Parasites were found in 66 (35.7%) of the examined cats, i.e. Toxocara cati (12%), Cystoisospora rivolta (12%), Joyeuxiella/Diplopylidium spp. (7%), Giardia spp. (6.5%), Troglostrongylus brevior (5%), Cystoisospora felis (2.5%), Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (2%), Taenia spp. (0.5%) and Dipylidium caninum (0.5%). Mixed infections were recorded in 18 cats. Cats that lived exclusively indoors or had received an antiparasitic treatment in the last 6 months were less likely to be infected (p < 0.05). Moreover, cats younger than 1 year old were more likely to shed first-stage larvae of T. brevior (p = 0.04). The present study shows that cats in Cyprus are infected at a high percentage by a variety of parasites that potentially affect their health and also, in some cases (i.e. T. cati, D. caninum, Giardia spp.), may have an impact on human health. Moreover, it was revealed that T. brevior, a lungworm of emerging significance, is present on the island, rendering Cyprus the easternmost distribution border of this parasite in Europe to date.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Ms. Anne Beavan for editing the English language.

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Affiliations

Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
Anastasia Diakou
Private Veterinary Practitioner, Lemesos, Cyprus
Dimitra Sofroniou
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Teaching Veterinary Hospital, Località Piano d’Accio snc, 64100, Teramo, Italy
Angela Di Cesare & Donato Traversa
Private Veterinary Practitioner, Larnaka, Cyprus
Panagiotis Kokkinos

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Anastasia Diakou
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Dimitra Sofroniou
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Angela Di Cesare
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Panagiotis Kokkinos
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Donato Traversa
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Correspondence to Anastasia Diakou.

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Diakou, A., Sofroniou, D., Di Cesare, A. et al. Occurrence and zoonotic potential of endoparasites in cats of Cyprus and a new distribution area for Troglostrongylus brevior . Parasitol Res 116, 3429–3435 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-017-5651-3

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Received: 19 July 2017
Accepted: 10 October 2017
Published: 16 October 2017
Issue Date: December 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-017-5651-3

Keywords

Cat
Cyprus
Endoparasites
Troglostrongylus brevior
Zoonotic