PARASITES OF CATS : AN UNDERESTIMATED DIVERSITY

Jelgava September 2014

Introduction

Parasites are animals that benefit at the expense of another organism (called the

host), usually of a dif ferent species.

The associat ion may also lead to the injury of the host.

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Cold-blooded invertebrates Animals - High reproduction rates Life cycle with several stages Parasites fight against the host immune system

Infestation dependent on external conditions for ectoparasites (seasonality of the market) Less marked for internal parasites Different forms with different sensitivities to treatment and different localisations Infestation level may vary from one individual to another (influence of age). Young animals are usually more susceptible

Common features of all parasites

Introduction

Cat Ectoparasites : Arthopods

Walking dandruff mite

Ear mite

Demodex mite

Cat mange mite

Tick

Flea

Chewing louse

Mosquito

Sandfly

Ectoparasites Endoparasites

• Acarians • Insects

Digestive = Gastro-intestinal parasites

Parasites of other organs or tissues • Respiratory parasites (Oslerus, Crenosoma, Filaroides,

Aelurostrongylus)

• Heart and arteries (Angiostrongylus vasorum, Dirofilaria immitis)

• Vesical (Capillaria, Dioctophyme)

• Systemic: Phagocytes (Leishmania) - Blood (Babesia)

Diversity of parasites

– Helminths (= worms)

– Protozoans

Cat Endoparasites

Hookworm

Cat roundworm

Threadworm

Eyeworm

Bladder worm

Tritrichomonas

Giardia

Coccidia

Cytauxzoon

Babesia

Leishmania

Liver fluke

Heartworm

Cat lungworm

Dipylidium tapeworm

Taenia tapeworm

Echinococcus tapeworm

Mesocestoides tapeworm

Broad tapeworm

Cat Endoparasites

Ectoparasites Endoparasites

Roundworm

UNICELLULARS Protozoans

WORMS Nematodes

Cestodes (tapeworms)

Nematodes

Cuticle

Growth by molting

• Cylindrical section • Length = 0.5 mm to 1 m • Separate gender • ± 26000 species not all

parasites

= close to arthropods

Toxocara sp

Ancylostoma sp

Worms : nematodes

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Intermediate Host or External Environment

Life cycle

Definitive Host Ex : Cat

adults male & female L3 L4 Pre-adults

L1

L2

Eggs or Larvae

L3

Ingestion or vector

transmission

Nematodes

RESISTANT FORMS

D. H.

Cat roundworm (Toxocara cati) Example

Adults 1

Non-infective eggs

2

Infective eggs

3

Non-infective eggs

2-4 weeks

Faeces

INGESTION

Rodents

P. H.

P.H. ingest infective eggs

LACTOGENIC TRANSMISSION

Kittens can become infected from the milk

Larvae migrate into the LUNG In kittens (<6 months) tracheal migration > adult in DT In adults: somatic migration = cysts in the body possible reactivation during oestrus and pregnancy

Prepatent period = 4- 6 weeks Longevity of

adults = 6 months

VERY RESISTANT FORMS

Plathelminthes = Flatworms • Flat section • Hermaphrodites + all Endoparasites • 2 groups Trematodes: no segmentation Cestodes: body divided in several segments (proglottids)

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FOCUS ON CESTODES : • Flat worms that look like tape, ribbon > tapeworm • Segmented body including 3 parts: Scolex, Neck, Body • Fixation structures (scolex & rostrum)

EUD LAUNCH CONVENTION BUCHAREST 2014

Worms: cestodes = tapeworm

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Intermediate Host

Hermaphrodite adults in the digestive track

Eggs (alone or in proglottids)

Larvae = Immature stages (different forms)

Life cycle Cestodes

Definitive Host Ex : Cat

D. H.

Dipylidium tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum) Example

Human risk

Flea pupal stage

Adult fleas

Hexacanth embryo

3

Cats ingest fleas

Cysticercoids 4

Proglottid (containing egg packets)

Adults 1 (small intestine)

Egg packets 2

Faeces

Larval stage of fleas I. H.

I.H. ingest the eggs

Importance of helminths endoparasites

• Medical importance Toxocarosis, Heartworm disease, Ancylostomosis

• Economic consequences : Toxocarosis / breeding

• Zoonotic risks

• Larva migrans due to ascarids or ancylostomes • Multilocular Echinococcosis

• Prevalence : 5-20% of dogs/cats are infested by intestinal worms

(up to 60-90 % in kennels)

Epidemiological data

Results of a 2012-2013 european multicentric survey on cat parasites P. Bourdeau, V. Cosma, R. Farkas, J. Guillot, L. Halos, A. Joachim, B. Losson, G. Miro,

D. Otranto, L. Rinaldi, F. Beugnet

2012-2013: ONE YEAR ROUND STUDY

9 veterinary faculties from 7 European countries FRANCE: Nantes, Maisons-Alfort

ITALY: Napoli, Bari

SPAIN: Madrid

BELGIUM (Liège)

AUSTRIA (Vienna)

HUNGARY (Budapest)

ROMANIA (Cluj-Napoca)

Enrolment criteria Routine consultation (no acute disease, no parasitic disease) No anthelmintic treatment for 2 months prior to inclusion No ectoparasiticide treatment for 1 month prior to inclusion

Random sampling of cats weekly

PARASITE CHECKING • ECTOPARASITE CHECKING

– Combing for fleas and ticks

• Stored in 60% ethanol for identification to species

• [Specific Dipylidium PCR on fleas]

– Otoscope examination for ear mites

– Adhesive tape and skin scrapping if suspected skin mite infestations

• ENDOPARASITE CHECKING

– Examination of faecal samples

– Macroscopic examination: adult parasites and cestode proglottids

– Microscopic examination: cysts, eggs and larvae

Each centre used its normal standard parasitological techniques for faecal analysis.

RESULTS

• 1519 owned-cats enrolled

SITE Nb of

cats

AUSTRIA 92

ALFORT 96

NANTES 91

BARI 300

NAPOLI 215

SPAIN 70

BELGIUM 55

ROMANIA 300

HUNGARY 300

Cat demographic data Female Male

57.0% (866) 43.0% (653)

Age

<6 months 6-24 months > 24 months

14.9% (223) 31.3% (470) 53.8% (807)

Appartment House

42.1% (639) 57.9% (880)

HUNTING NOT HUNTING

53.2% (808) 46.8% (711)

LIFESTYLE

Frequent outdoor access Mainly indoors

72.0% (1093) 28.0% (426)

Multipet household Single animal

75.5% (1147) 24.5% (372)

RESULTS

Out of 1519 examined cats 50,7% (770) were infested by parasites (external or internal)

More than the half of the European Cat population carry at least 1 parasite

ECTOPARASITE INFESTATION

Other ectoparasite infestation included Felicola subrastratus (13 cats) Cheyletiella blakei (5 cats) Notoedres cati (3 cats)

% (nb) CI95%

Overall ectoparasite 29.6% (450) 27.3 - 32

Fleas 15.5% (236) 13.7 -17.5

Ticks 1.18% (18) 0.7 - 1.87

Otodectes 17.5% (265) 15.6 - 19.5

Other ectoparasites 1.38% (21) 0.86 - 2.11

ENDOPARASITE INFESTATION

% (nb) CI95%

Overall endoparasite 35.1% (533/1519) [32.7%-35.7%]

Gastro-intestinal helminthes

GI nematodes

GI cestodes

25.7% (390/1519) [23.5%-28.0%]

20.5% (312/1519) [19.1%-23.3%]

7.0% (64/1519) [5.8%-8.5%]

Protozoans 20.6% (182/885) [18.0%-23.4%]

Respiratory nematodes 5.4% (60/1115) [4.1%-6.9%]

Gastro-intestinal nematodes 20.5% (312) [19.1%-23.3%]

Roundworm (Toxocara cati) 19.8% (300) [17.8%-21.8%]

Toxascaris leonina 0.33% (5) [0.11%-0.77%]

Hookworm

Ancylostoma tubaeformae /

Uncinaria stenocephala

1.45% (22) [0.91%-2.18%]

GI helminthes - NEMATODES

Ancylostoma egg

Gastro-intestinal cestodes 7.0% (64) [5.8%-8.5%]

GI helminthes - CESTODES

! poor sensitivity of coproscopy for the detection of cestode

As demonstrated in previous studies, coproscopic estimation for cestodes leads to under-estimation :

5x more infested animals.

Co-infestations

Both external and internal

parasites

14.0% (213) [12.3%-15.9%]

Fleas and gastro-intestinal nematodes 5.4% (82) [4.3%-6.7%]

Fleas and Toxocara spp. 5.3% (80) [4.2%-6.5%]

Fleas and Dipylidium spp. 0,46% (7) [0.19%-0.95%]

Co-infestation by external and internal parasites is not a rare event in cats

Conclusion

Conclusion

• Worms are common in cats

• Important variations between individuals, breeding kennels, other kennels, rural areas, urban areas, medicalized animal or not

• Life cycles are complex

• Public health risk may be significant

• Deworming management and advise is a important task of the veterinarians