Molecular detection of Anaplasma bovis, Ehrlichia canis and Hepatozoon felis in cats from Luanda, Angola

Parasites & Vectors

Table 1 Prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in 102 cats from Luanda, Angola, as determined by PCR and DNA sequencing

Variable/Category	No. of cats tested (%)	Percentage (n) of infected cats	95% CI (%)
Gender	101
Female	56 (55.4)	5.4 (3)	1.1–14.9
Male	45 (44.6)	6.7 (3)	1.4–18.3
Breed	96
Mixed	92 (95.8)	6.5 (6)	2.4–13.7
Defined^a	4 (4.2)	0.0 (0)	0.0–60.2
Age group	100
Juvenile^b	50 (50.0)	6.0 (3)	1.3–16.5
Adult^c	50 (50.0)	6.0 (3)	1.3–16.5
Hair length	102
Short	85 (83.3)	7.1 (6)	2.6–14.7
Medium or long	17 (16.7)	0.0 (0)	0.0–19.5
Housing	102
Indoors	37 (36.3)	0.0 (0)	0.0–9.5
Outdoors or mixed	65 (63.7)	9.2 (6)	3.5–19.0
Contact with other animals	97
No	20 (20.6)	0.0 (0)	0.0–16.8
Yes^d	77 (79.4)	7.8 (6)	2.9–16.2
Travel^e	102
No	60 (58.8)	3.3 (2)	0.4–11.5
Yes	42 (41.2)	9.5 (4)	2.7–22.6
Ectoparasiticides	91
No	84 (92.3)	6.0 (5)	2.0–13.3
Yes^f	7 (7.7)	14.3 (1)	0.4–57.9
Fleas	102
No	89 (87.3)	5.6 (5)	1.9–12.6
Yes^g	13 (12.7)	7.7 (1)	0.2–36.0
Clinical status	102
Apparently healthy	89 (87.3)	6.7 (6)	2.5–14.1
Sick^h	13 (12.7)	0.0 (0)	0.0–24.7
Total	102 (100)	5.9 (6)ⁱ	2.2–12.4

Abbreviations: 95% CI 95% confidence interval
^aComprising 2 Persian and 2 Siamese cats
^b2.5–11.5 months
^c12–143 months
^dIncluding cats, dogs, rodents and/or birds
^eOutside the province of Luanda
^fFipronil
^gNot identified
^hClinical manifestations and laboratory abnormalities: anemia, anorexia/hyporexia, cough, cutaneous lesions, diarrhea, fever, leukocytosis, leukopenia, neurological disorders, ocular signs, thrombocytopenia, weight loss, vomiting
ⁱAnaplasma bovis (n = 1), Ehrlichia canis (n = 3) and Hepatozoon canis (n = 3), including 1 cat co-infected with both E. canis and H. felis

ISSN: 1756-3305