Naslov
Postmortal and molecular research of bacterial and protozoal vector-borne diseases of cats and dogs

Autori
Huber, Doroteja

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Ocjenski radovi, doktorska disertacija

Fakultet
Veterinarski fakultet

Mjesto
Zagreb

Datum
03.12

Godina
2018

Stranica
249

Mentor
Beck, Ana ; Beck, Relja

Ključne riječi
vector-borne pathogens, piroplasms, Babesia canis, Hepatozoon canis, hemotropic Mycoplasma, Anaplasma spp., pathology, PCR

Sažetak
Vector-borne diseases (VBD) present global health problem of cats and dogs. The current research investigated pathogens causing VBD in cats and dogs from Croatia with determination of pathogen involvement in lethal outcome of the host. Dead animals were necropsied and tissue samples were collected for cytologic, pathologic, serologic and molecular investigation. All animal tissue was screened by conventional PCR for presence of Anaplasma/Ehrlichia, Babesia/Theileria, Bartonella, Cytauxzoon, Hepatozoon, hemotropic Mycoplasma and Rickettsia DNA. Detected pathogens in 29 (of 37) cats were Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum, Can. M. haemominutum, Can. M. turicensis, M. haemofelis, Bartonella clarridgeiae and Babesia canis. Single or multiple hemotropic Mycoplasma infection was associated with lethal outcome in three cats and with anemia in four additional cats. In 11 cats co-infections were present. Pathogens in 30 (of 64) dogs were B. canis, Hepatozoon canis, Can. M. haematoparvum and M. fastidiosum, with co-infections in five dogs. Anaplasma platys and A. phagocytophilum were detected in a total of 30 apparently healthy, live dogs. The most common pathogen was B. canis, which caused demise in 2/3 of infected dogs due to septic shock. None of the other detected pathogens caused death in investigated dogs. Morphology of B. canis changed from ‘large’ to ‘small’-like after death of the dog. Although A. phagocytophilum infection was associated with lethal outcome in few dogs, the pathogen was also detected in healthy dogs, while antibodies were detected in healthy dogs and in live and dead dogs with suspected VBD, suggesting that infection does not cause death in most dogs. A. platys was detected only in healthy dogs. Antibodies for E. canis were detected in apparently healthy dogs and dogs suspected for VBD, but the pathogen was not detected by PCR. Investigated pathogens in dogs were detected from fresh, frozen tissue, but also from stained cytologic slides, emphasizing the possibility to perform retrospective studies on archived material. Concluding, cats are mostly infected by flea- borne pathogens, most frequently hemotropic Mycoplasma with rare lethal disease even when co-infections were present. Contrary, dogs are mostly infected with tick-borne pathogens. The most common pathogen, B. canis, often caused lethal disease in affected dogs, but it was also found in dogs without any lesions.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Veterinarska medicina

POVEZANOST RADA