Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis, Dipylidium caninum and Taenia spp. in populations of cats from shelters and research colonies, in two endemic regions of eastern Australia
There is a paucity of available prevalence data for key parasite species and genera infecting cats in Australia. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of key parasites infecting cats in Australia, namely the feline heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, and the cestodes Dipylidium caninum and...
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Elsevier
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667114X24000578 |
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| author | Florian Roeber Riannon Apicella Michael Chambers Don Strazzeri Norbert Mencke Katrin Blazejak |
| author_facet | Florian Roeber Riannon Apicella Michael Chambers Don Strazzeri Norbert Mencke Katrin Blazejak |
| author_sort | Florian Roeber |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There is a paucity of available prevalence data for key parasite species and genera infecting cats in Australia. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of key parasites infecting cats in Australia, namely the feline heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, and the cestodes Dipylidium caninum and Taenia spp. The prevalence of these parasites was assessed in cat populations in five separate locations of eastern Australia and within two geographical regions: humid subtropical and oceanic. A total of 141 cats were enrolled in this study. Of these, 91 were tested for D. immitis by feline heartworm antigen/antibody testing, 93 samples were tested for Di. caninum and Taenia spp. by faecal floatation and a subset of 48 cat samples were tested for Di. caninum and Taenia spp. by PCR performed on peri-anal swabs. Test results were negative for the two species with a single positive result observed for Taenia spp. Point estimates of prevalence were therefore 0% for feline heartworm and Di. caninum and 1.1% for Taenia spp. Associated 95% confidence intervals around the point estimate were 0–4.1% for feline heartworm, 0–3.9% for Di. caninum and 0–5.8% for Taenia spp. It should be noted that estimates were calculated using nominal values for test sensitivity and specificity; however, the overall prevalence of all three parasite species in these geographical regions is likely to be minimal based on the data from this study. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0383f7c1d2e14b5898b65c42be587efe |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2667-114X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases |
| spelling | doaj-art-0383f7c1d2e14b5898b65c42be587efe2025-08-20T02:07:35ZengElsevierCurrent Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases2667-114X2024-01-01610022610.1016/j.crpvbd.2024.100226Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis, Dipylidium caninum and Taenia spp. in populations of cats from shelters and research colonies, in two endemic regions of eastern AustraliaFlorian Roeber0Riannon Apicella1Michael Chambers2Don Strazzeri3Norbert Mencke4Katrin Blazejak5Invetus Pty Ltd., Wongaburra Research Centre, Casino, NSW, 2470, Australia; Corresponding author.Invetus Pty Ltd., Wongaburra Research Centre, Casino, NSW, 2470, AustraliaInvetus Pty Ltd., Wongaburra Research Centre, Casino, NSW, 2470, AustraliaVetoquinol Australia PTY LTD, 485 Kingsford Smith Drive, Hamilton, QLD, 4007, AustraliaVetoquinol SA, 37 Rue de la Victoire, 75009, Paris, FranceVetoquinol SA, 37 Rue de la Victoire, 75009, Paris, FranceThere is a paucity of available prevalence data for key parasite species and genera infecting cats in Australia. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of key parasites infecting cats in Australia, namely the feline heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, and the cestodes Dipylidium caninum and Taenia spp. The prevalence of these parasites was assessed in cat populations in five separate locations of eastern Australia and within two geographical regions: humid subtropical and oceanic. A total of 141 cats were enrolled in this study. Of these, 91 were tested for D. immitis by feline heartworm antigen/antibody testing, 93 samples were tested for Di. caninum and Taenia spp. by faecal floatation and a subset of 48 cat samples were tested for Di. caninum and Taenia spp. by PCR performed on peri-anal swabs. Test results were negative for the two species with a single positive result observed for Taenia spp. Point estimates of prevalence were therefore 0% for feline heartworm and Di. caninum and 1.1% for Taenia spp. Associated 95% confidence intervals around the point estimate were 0–4.1% for feline heartworm, 0–3.9% for Di. caninum and 0–5.8% for Taenia spp. It should be noted that estimates were calculated using nominal values for test sensitivity and specificity; however, the overall prevalence of all three parasite species in these geographical regions is likely to be minimal based on the data from this study.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667114X24000578CatsDipylidium caninumDirofilaria immitisTaenia spp.Australia |
| spellingShingle | Florian Roeber Riannon Apicella Michael Chambers Don Strazzeri Norbert Mencke Katrin Blazejak Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis, Dipylidium caninum and Taenia spp. in populations of cats from shelters and research colonies, in two endemic regions of eastern Australia Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases Cats Dipylidium caninum Dirofilaria immitis Taenia spp. Australia |
| title | Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis, Dipylidium caninum and Taenia spp. in populations of cats from shelters and research colonies, in two endemic regions of eastern Australia |
| title_full | Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis, Dipylidium caninum and Taenia spp. in populations of cats from shelters and research colonies, in two endemic regions of eastern Australia |
| title_fullStr | Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis, Dipylidium caninum and Taenia spp. in populations of cats from shelters and research colonies, in two endemic regions of eastern Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis, Dipylidium caninum and Taenia spp. in populations of cats from shelters and research colonies, in two endemic regions of eastern Australia |
| title_short | Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis, Dipylidium caninum and Taenia spp. in populations of cats from shelters and research colonies, in two endemic regions of eastern Australia |
| title_sort | prevalence of dirofilaria immitis dipylidium caninum and taenia spp in populations of cats from shelters and research colonies in two endemic regions of eastern australia |
| topic | Cats Dipylidium caninum Dirofilaria immitis Taenia spp. Australia |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667114X24000578 |
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