Dhimitër Rapti

Endoparasites of cats from the Tirana area and the first report on Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (Railliet, 1898) in Albania

ZusammenfassungIm Kot von Katzen aus dem Großraum Tirana wurden Larven nachgewiesen, die für eine Infektion mit dem Lungenwurm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus sprachen. Dieser Befund konnte durch die Sektion von 18 Katzen bestätigt werden, von denen 9 einen Befall der Lungen mit adulten A. abstrusus (Railliet, 1898) (Prävalenz 50 %; 1–11 Würmer) aufwiesen. Neben A. abstrusus wurden Eucoleus aerophilus (16,7 %; 1–9 Würmer) aus der Lunge sowie Toxocara cati (83,3 %; 2–33 Würmer), Ancylostoma tubaeforme (44,4 %; 1–20 Würmer), Dipylidium caninum (83,3 %; 1–164 Würmer), Joyeuxiella pasqualei (11,1 %; 1–3 Würmer) und ein Kratzer (Acanthozephala) aus dem Magen–Darm–Trakt der Katzen isoliert. Im Rektumkot waren Oozysten von Cystoisospora felis und C. rivolta bei 5,6 % bzw. 11,1 % der sezierten Katzen nachweisbar. Die vorläufigen Ergebnis sprechen für eine hohe Prävalenz an Endoparasiten in den freilebenden Katzen aus Tirana. Das Vorkommen von A. abstrusus, dessen Befall mit respiratorischen Symptomen einhergehen kann, wird hiermit erstmalig in Albanien beschrieben.SummaryFollowing the recovery of first–stage nematode larvae indicative of Aelurostrongylus abstrusus infection in the faeces of free-roaming cats from the greater Tirana area, examination of 18 cats at necropsy revealed nine of them harbouring adult A. abstrusus (Railliet, 1898) in the lungs (prevalence, 50%; range, 1–11). In addition to A. abstrusus, Eucoleus aerophilus (16.7%; 1–9) was isolated from the lungs, and Toxocara cati (83.3%; 2–33), Ancylostoma tubaeforme (44.4%; 1–20), Dipylidium caninum (83.3%; 1–164), Joyeuxiella pasqualei (11.1%; 1–3) and one specimen of an acanthocephalan (5.5%) were recovered from the gastrointestinal tract. Furthermore, oocysts of Cystoisospora felis and C. rivolta were found in the rectal faeces of 5.6% and 11.1% of the cats, respectively. In conclusion, the prevalence of endoparasite infection in free–roaming cats in Tirana can be considered to be high. The occurrence of A. abstrusus, which may cause respiratory distress in cats, is reported for the first time in Albania.

Detection of Babesia canis subspecies and other arthropod-borne diseases in dogs from Tirana, Albania

ZusammenfassungDurch Arthropoden übertragene Infektionen haben in der jüngeren Vergangenheit zunehmend an Bedeutung gewonnen, auch bedingt durch vermehrte Reisen in, beziehungsweise Importe von Hunden aus Regionen, in denen die Erreger endemisch sind. Während die epidemiologische Situation im westlichen Mittelmeerraum gut dokumentiert ist, sind aus Osteuropa und dem Balkan vergleichsweise wenige Informationen verfügbar. In der vorliegenden Studie wurden Blutproben von 30 klinisch unauffälligen Hunden aus den Randgebieten von Tirana, Albanien, auf vektor-übertragene Infektionen untersucht. Mittels direkter und/oder indirekter Verfahren wurden die Blutproben auf Babesia canis, Hepatozoon spp., Leishmania spp., Dirofilaria spp., Ehrlichia canis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Bartonella spp. und Rickettsia spp. untersucht. Im Blut von 20 Hunden (= 67 %) wurden Antikörper bzw. Erreger durch Arthropoden übertragene Infektionen nachgewiesen. Antikörper gegen B. canis, E. canis und/oder A. phagocytophilum waren im Serum von 19 Hunden (= 63 %) nachweisbar. Bei 13 Hunden (= 43 %) erfolgte ein Erregernachweis mittels Blutausstrich, PCR oder ELISA, wobei B. caniscanis, B. canis vogeli, Hepatozoon spp., D. immitis und/oder E. canis identifiziert wurden. Infektionen mit Leishmania spp., Bartonella spp. und Rickettsia spp. waren nicht nachweisbar.SummarySummary. The importance of arthropod-borne diseases increased in the recent past in particular due to frequent travel with dogs in or by importing of dogs from regions with endemic occurrence of these diseases. While the epidemiological situation is well known for the western parts of the Mediterranean, only limited data is available for Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Thirty clinically healthy dogs from suburban areas of Tirana, Albania, were tested for Babesia canis, Hepatozoon spp., Leishmania spp., Dirofilaria spp., Ehrlichia canis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Bartonella spp. and Rickettsia spp. using direct and indirect methods. Antibodies against and/or pathogens of arthropod-borne diseases were detected in the blood of 20 (67%) dogs. Nineteen dogs (63%) had antibodies against B. canis, E. canis and/or A. phagocytophilum.Babesia c. canis, Babesia c. vogeli, Hepatozoon spp., D. immitis and/or E. canis were identified by blood smear, PCR or ELISA in 13 (43%) dogs. There was no evidence for Leishmania spp., Bartonella spp. and Rickettsia spp. infections.

Survey of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum , haemotropic mycoplasmas and other arthropod-borne pathogens in cats from Albania

BackgroundAlbania is a country on the western part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Mediterranean climate is favourable for the stable development of many arthropod species, which are incriminated as vectors for various agents. Recently, several papers have reported on epidemiological aspects of parasitic diseases including vector-borne disease agents of dogs with zoonotic characteristics in Albania. However, data on the epidemiology of feline parasitic and bacterial agents in Albania is scarce.MethodsSerum and EDTA-blood samples collected from 146 domestic cats from Tirana during 2008 through 2010 were examined for exposure to Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, Leishmania infantum, and Anaplasma spp. with IFAT, for infection with L. infantum, A. phagocytophilum, Bartonella spp. and haemotropic mycoplasmas with conventional PCR and real-time PCR and for Dirofilaria immitis with antigen ELISA. Additionally blood smear microscopy was carried out for detection of blood-borne pathogens.ResultsAntibodies to T. gondii (titre ≥1:100) were demonstrated in 91 cats (62.3%). Antibodies to N. caninum (titre ≥1:100), L. infantum (titre ≥1:64) and Anaplasma spp. (titre ≥1:100) were found in the serum of 15 (10.3%), 1 (0.7%) or 3 (2.1%) cats, respectively. DNA of haemotropic mycoplasmas was detected in the blood of 45 cats (30.8%), namely Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum (21.9%), Mycoplasma haemofelis (10.3%), and Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis (5.5%), with ten cats harbouring co-infections of two mycoplasmas each; blood from one cat was PCR positive for Bartonella henselae. No DNA of Leishmania spp. and A. phagocytophilum or circulating D. immitis antigen was detected in any cat sample. The overall prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas was significantly higher in male compared to female cats (40.6% vs. 24.1%, p = 0.0444); and age was associated positively with the prevalence of antibodies to T. gondii (p = 0.0008) and the percentage of haemotropic mycoplasma infection (p = 0.0454).ConclusionsWith the broad screening panel including direct and indirect methods applied in the present study, a wide spectrum of exposure to or infection with parasitic or bacterial agents was detected.

Rickettsia felis and Bartonella spp. in fleas from cats in Albania.

Fleas can serve as vectors for bacterial pathogens like Bartonella and Rickettsia species, which have been isolated worldwide. However, the knowledge of the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases in general and thus on flea-borne diseases in Albania is limited. Therefore, from 78 free-roaming cats in Tirana, Albania, fleas (371 Ctenocephalides felis and 5 Ctenocephalides canis) were collected to examine them for the presence of Rickettsia and Bartonella species. Ten of the 371 C. felis (2.7%) were positive for Rickettsia felis, and 24 (6.5%) for Bartonella spp. (B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae). In total, fleas from 15 cats (19.2%) were positive for either one or the other of the pathogens. The results of this study provided evidence for the presence of R. felis (causing flea-borne spotted fever) and Bartonella spp. (causing cat scratch disease) in Albania. Thus, these infectious diseases should be considered as differential diagnoses when febrile symptoms are presented, especially after contact with cats or their fleas.