Table 1 Feline vector-borne pathogens (including modes of transmission, potential clinical and laboratory findings and zoonotic potential) (*suspected in cats; **reported in other host species, but not yet in cats)
From: Vector-borne and other pathogens of potential relevance disseminated by relocated cats
Genus | Species | Modes of transmission | Clinical and laboratory findings (most common findings in case of illness, generally often subclinical infection) | Zoonotic potential |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bacteria | ||||
Anaplasma | A. bovis | Tick bites | Unknown | Unknown |
A. phagocytophilum | Tick bites | Fever, thrombocytopenia, suspected suppurative polyarthritis | Yes | |
A. platys | Tick bites | suspected fever and thrombocytopenia | Yes | |
Bartonella | B. clarridgeiae | Flea feces Animal bites, scratches | Fever, lymphadenomegaly, suspected endocarditis | Yes |
B. elizabethae | Flea feces Animal bites, scratches | Suspected endocarditis | Yes | |
B. henselae | Flea feces, tick bites** animal bites, scratches | Fever, lymphadenomegaly, endocarditis, myocarditis | Yes | |
B. koehlerae | Flea feces Animal bites, scratches | Fever, lymphadenomegaly, suspected endocarditis | Yes | |
B. quintana | Human body louse bites**, flea bites* Animal bites, scratches | Fever, endocarditis | Yes | |
B. vinsonii berkhoffii | Tick bites** Animal bites* | Recurrent osteomyelitis | Yes | |
Borrelia | B. burgdorferi | Tick bites | Fever, lethargy, suspected suppurative polyarthritis | Yes |
B. hispanica | Tick bites, sucking lice bites | Weight loss, regenerative anemia, monocytosis | Yes | |
B. miyamotoi | Tick bites, sucking lice bites | Unknown | Yes | |
B. persica | Tick bites, sucking lice bites | Lethargy, anorexia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, icterus | Yes | |
Coxiella | C. burnetii | Flea bites*, tick bites* Direct contact*, fomites* | Abortion, stillbirth | Yes |
Ehrlichia | E. canis | Tick bites | Fever, thrombocytopenia, lymphadenomegly | Yes |
E. chaffeensis | Tick bites | Few data available | Yes | |
E. ewingii | Tick bites | Few data available | Yes | |
Francisella | F. tularensis | Tick bites**, blood sucking vectors (mechanical)** Animal bites*, ingestion**, scratches* | Fever, lymphadenomegaly, cough, dyspnea | Yes |
Haemotropic Mycoplasma spp. | 'Candidatus M. haemominutum' | Flea bites*, tick bites* Animal bites*, vertical** | Fever, hemolytic anemia | No |
'Candidatus M. turicensis' | Flea bites*, tick bites* Animal bites*, vertical** | Fever, hemolytic anemia | No | |
M. haemofelis | Flea bites*, tick bites* Animal bites*, vertical** | Fever, hemolytic anemia | Yes | |
Neorickettsia | N. mikurensis | Tick bites** | Unknown; suspected lymphadenomegaly and fever | Yes |
N. risticii | Ingestion of infected trematodes** | Unknown; suspected anorexia, lymphadenomegaly and diarrhea | Unknown | |
Rickettsia | R. conorii | Tick bites | Suspected fever | Yes |
R. felis | Flea bites | Unknown; suspected fever | Yes | |
R. massiliae | Tick bites | Suspected fever | Yes | |
R. rickettsii | Tick bites | Suspected fever | Yes | |
R. typhi | Flea bites | Suspected fever | Yes | |
Yersinia | Y. pestis | Flea bites direct contact, ingestion of infected host/prey | Fever, necrotic stomatitis, lymphadenomegaly, cough, dyspnea | Yes |
Protozoa | ||||
Babesia | B. canis | Tick bites** vertical** | Mild chronic anemia (few data available) | Unknown |
B. felis | Tick bites* | Hemolytic anemia, icterus, increased ALT | Unknown | |
B. lengau | Tick bites* | Anemia (few data available) | Unknown | |
B. leo | Tick bites* | Anemia (few data available) | Unknown | |
B. vogeli | Tick bites** | Unknown | No | |
B. panickeri | Tick bites* | Anorexia, lethargy, hemolytic anemia (few data available) | Unknown | |
B. hongkongensis | Tick bites* | Unknown | Unknown | |
B. presentii | Tick bites* | Anemia, fever, icterus, lethargy (few data available) | Unknown | |
Cytauxzoon | Cytauxzoon felis | Tick bites | Fever, icterus, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, fatal infection | Unknown |
Cytauxzoon sp. | Tick bites* | Sub-clinical to rare severe fatal infection with anemia and fever | Unknown | |
Hepatozoon | H. canis | Ingestion of intermediate hosts (ticks)**, ingestion of paratenic hosts**, vertical** | Unknown | Unknown |
H. felis | Unknown, vertical* | Icterus, pancytopenia, increased SDMA (symmetric dimethylarginine) | Unknown | |
H. silvestris | Unknown | Myocarditis | Unknown | |
Leishmania | L. amazonensis | Sand fly bites* | Skin and mucosal lesions (nodular, ulcerative) | Yes |
L. braziliensis | Sand fly bites* | Skin and mucosal lesions (nodular, ulcerative) | Yes | |
L. infantum | Sand fly bites Animal bites**, blood transfusion**, vertical** | Skin and mucosal lesions (nodular, ulcerative), lymphadenopathy, ocular lesions (conjunctivitis, uveitis), hyperglobulinemia, anemia, proteinuria | Yes | |
L. mexicana (L. venezuelensis) | Sand fly bites* | Skin and mucosal lesions (nodular, ulcerative) | Yes | |
Trypanosoma | T. brucei (brucei) | Tsetse fly bites, tabanids and other biting flies (mechanical) | Fever, emaciation, anorexia, edema and erythema (head, face), alopecia, lymphadenomegaly, ocular lesions (keratitis, conjunctivitis, photophobia, epiphora, pannus, hypopyon), eventual lethal outcome | Yes |
T. congolense | Tsetse fly bites, tabanids and other biting flies (mechanical) | Emaciation, anemia, no ocular signs, fatal outcome | Yes | |
T. cruzi | Triatomine feces | Seizures, transient posterior paralysis (few data available) | Yes | |
T. evansi | Tabanids and stable flies (mechanical), vampire bats bites** | Fever, weight loss, diarrhea and vomiting, edema (head, face), lymphadenomegaly, ocular lesions (corneal opacity), regenerative anemia, icterus, hindlimb instability, muscle atrophy, potential fatal outcome | Yes | |
Viruses | ||||
Feline calicivirus (FCV) | Flea bites* direct contact, fomites | Fever, stomatitis, upper respiratory signs, polyarthritis, vasculitis with systemic variants | No | |
Dabie bandavirus (formerly: Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus [SFTSV]) | Tick bites Animal bites, direct contact, scratches | Fever, anorexia, lethargy, vomiting, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia | Yes | |
West Nile virus (WNV) | Mosquito bites | Neurologic signs | Yes | |
Helminths | ||||
Acanthocheilonema | A. dracunculoides | Flea bites** | Unknown | Unknown |
A. reconditum | Flea bites**, lice (sucking and chewing) bites/ingestion** | Unknown | Unknown | |
Aelurostrongylus | A. abstrusus | Ingestion of intermediate hosts (slugs and snails), ingestion of paratenic hosts, ingestion of free larvae in snail/slug slime | Cough, dyspnea | No |
Brugia | B. malayi | Mosquito bites | Lymphadenomegaly, lymphedema (few data available) | Yes |
B. pahangi | Mosquito bites | Lymphadenomegaly, lymphedema (few data available) | Yes | |
Cercopithifilaria | C. grassii | Tick bites | Unknown | Unknown |
Dirofilaria | D. immitis | Mosquito bites | Cough, dyspnea, sudden death | Yes |
D. repens | Mosquito bites | Subcutaneous nodules, dermatitis | Yes | |
Troglostrongylus | T. brevior | Ingestion of intermediate hosts (slugs and snails), ingestion of paratenic hosts, ingestion of free larvae in snail/slug slime, vertical, transmammary | Cough, dyspnea, nasal discharge | No |
T. subcrenatus | Unknown | Cough, dyspnea, nasal discharge | No | |
Thelazia | T. californiensis | Deposition by secretophagous house flies (Fannia canicularis, Fannia benjamini) | Blepharospasm, epiphora, conjunctivitis, keratitis | Yes |
T. callipaeda | Deposition by secretophagous fruit flies (Phortica variegata, Amiota okadai) | Blepharospasm, epiphora, conjunctivitis, keratitis | Yes | |
Dipylidium | D. caninum | Ingestion of intermediate hosts (fleas, lice) | Unthrifty, rarely vomiting or diarrhea | Yes |