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Animals
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Parasites in Dogs and Cats
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Parasites in Dogs and Cats

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Companion Animals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 8112

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Anna Ortuño

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department de Sanitat Animal, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Avda dels Turons, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
Interests: canine and feline parasitology; canine and feline shelter medicine and parasite zoonoses transmitted by dogs and cats

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Parasites affecting dogs and cats are of concern to both medical and veterinary practicioners. On one hand, parasite infections could be a challenge to the veterinary clinician because diseases caused by these organisms could be subclinical or clinical signs could be non-specific; as a consequence, they are often misdiagnosed. On the other hand, global warming and animal movement abroad may favor the spread of some parasites to non-endemic areas, being responsible for the emergence and re-emergence of parasitic diseases. Finally, it should be noted that some parasites are potentially zoonotic and have an impact on public health, since the pet–human bond is strong and dogs and cats live in close proximity to human beings.  Parasite control may require further involvement than the administration of wide-spectrum anti-parasite drugs, and control measures addressed to the feline and canine population should reduce both animal infection and human infection in the framework of the ‘One Health’ concept.

The main purpose of this Special Issue is to gather together the most recent research on canine and feline parasitology, with special emphasis on epidemiology, diagnostics, the implementation of parasite control strategies, and the emergence and re-emergence of parasites and zoonoses. Authors are invited to submit original research papers, literature reviews, and case report articles.

Prof. Dr. Anna Ortuño
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • dogs and cats
  • epidemiology
  • diagnosis
  • parasite control strategies
  • emergence/re-emergence of parasitic diseases
  • zoonoses and one health

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 249 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Different Copromicroscopic Techniques in the Diagnosis of Intestinal and Respiratory Parasites of Naturally Infected Dogs and Cats
by Mariasole Colombo, Simone Morelli, Donatella Damiani, Maria Antonella Del Negro, Piermarino Milillo, Giulia Simonato, Alessandra Barlaam and Angela Di Cesare
Animals 2022, 12(19), 2584; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12192584 - 27 Sep 2022
Viewed by 1506
Abstract
Several copromicroscopic techniques, including tools belonging to the FLOTAC group, are available for the qualitative and/or quantitative diagnosis of canine and feline parasitoses. The present study was carried out to compare the diagnostic performance of different copromicroscopic methods for detecting common intestinal and [...] Read more.
Several copromicroscopic techniques, including tools belonging to the FLOTAC group, are available for the qualitative and/or quantitative diagnosis of canine and feline parasitoses. The present study was carried out to compare the diagnostic performance of different copromicroscopic methods for detecting common intestinal and extra-intestinal parasites of dogs and cats. Fecal samples of 100 dogs and 105 cats were randomly selected from different regions of Italy. All samples were subjected to conventional flotation, McMaster, Mini-FLOTAC, and Baermann. Fifty-six dogs and twenty-five cats were found positive to at least one technique, and, among them, flotation (55% and 20.9% of the dogs and cats, respectively) and Mini-FLOTAC (52% and 20.9% of the dogs and cats, respectively) detected the highest number of positive samples. Larvae of the feline metastrongyloids Aelurostrongylus abstrusus and Troglostrongylus brevior were identified only using the Baermann test in two (1.9%) and one (0.9%) cat respectively. No larvae were found with the Baermann examination of dog feces or any of the other methods. The present results show that the Mini-FLOTAC represents a possible alternative to conventional flotation in clinical settings for the detection of intestinal and respiratory parasites e.g., Toxocara spp., Toxascaris leonina, Ancylostomatidae, Cystoisospora spp., Trichuris vulpis and Capillaria spp., although Baermann’s test remains the most recommended technique for the diagnosis of infections caused by metastrongyloid lungworms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasites in Dogs and Cats)
12 pages, 1666 KiB  
Article
Toxocara canis Infection Alters mRNA Expression Profiles of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells in Beagle Dogs at the Lung Infection Period
by Lang Cai, Yang Zou, Yue Xu, Hao-Yu Li, Shi-Chen Xie, Xing-Quan Zhu and Wen-Bin Zheng
Animals 2022, 12(12), 1517; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12121517 - 10 Jun 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1685
Abstract
Toxocara canis is a neglected zoonotic roundworm distributed all over the world, causing toxocariasis in humans and animals. However, so far, the immune mechanism of T. canis infection in definitive hosts remains to be clarified. In this study, the transcriptional alterations of Beagle [...] Read more.
Toxocara canis is a neglected zoonotic roundworm distributed all over the world, causing toxocariasis in humans and animals. However, so far, the immune mechanism of T. canis infection in definitive hosts remains to be clarified. In this study, the transcriptional alterations of Beagle dogs’ peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) induced by T. canis infection during the lung infection period were analyzed using RNA-seq technology. A total of 2142 differentially expressed genes were identified, with 1066 upregulated genes and 1076 downregulated genes. Many differentially expressed genes participated in the biological process of intracellular signal transduction, as well as the immune- or inflammation-related KEGG signaling pathway, such as the Notch signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and NF-kappa B signaling pathway, through KEGG enrichment analysis. This study indicated that T. canis infection could suppress the biological function of Beagle dogs’ PMBCs and provided basic data to further clarify the interaction mechanism between T. canis and host immune cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasites in Dogs and Cats)
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11 pages, 1515 KiB  
Article
Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum Infections in Stray Cats and Dogs in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau Area, China
by Jinfang Yang, Jingkai Ai, Tongsheng Qi, Xiaomin Ni, Zichun Xu, Liangting Guo, Yali Sun, Ying Li, Ming Kang and Jixu Li
Animals 2022, 12(11), 1390; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12111390 - 28 May 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1892
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum belong to the Apicomplexan protozoa which is an obligate intracellular parasite, causing toxoplasmosis and neosporosis throughout the world. Cats and dogs are the definitive hosts of these two parasites. However, information on the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis and neosporosis [...] Read more.
Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum belong to the Apicomplexan protozoa which is an obligate intracellular parasite, causing toxoplasmosis and neosporosis throughout the world. Cats and dogs are the definitive hosts of these two parasites. However, information on the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis and neosporosis in stray cats and dogs in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau Area (QTPA) is limited, and little is known about the diversity of the diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform indirect ELISA tests based on recombinant TgSAG1, TgGRA1, NcSAG1 and NcGRA7 proteins to establish a detailed record of the seroprevalence of T. gondii and N. caninum-specific IgG and IgM antibodies in serum samples and to develop qPCR amplification based on TgB1 and NcNc5 genes to conduct molecular epidemiology in feces from stray cats and dogs in the QTPA. In the current study, a total of 128 cat serum samples were analyzed through serological tests in which 53 (41.4%) and 57 (44.5%) samples were found positive for T. gondii specific-IgG and IgM antibodies, and 2 (1.6%) and 74 (57.8%) samples were confirmed positive for N. caninum specific-IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. Out of 224 stray dog sera, 59.8% and 58.9% were recorded as positive against anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies, 17.9% and 64.7% were detected positive against Neospora IgG and IgM. On the other hand, 1 of 18 cat fecal samples was successfully amplified within the Ct value of 10 to 30 while no cat was positive for neosporosis. Moreover, a higher prevalence of toxoplasmosis in stray dogs (14.5%, 16/110) than of neosporosis (5.5%, 6/110) with different parasite numbers were found. Further analysis showed that no significant sex differences were found nor between the overall infection rates of T. gondii and N. caninum in this study. This study suggests that stray cats and dogs play key roles in the transmission and prevalence of T. gondii and N. caninum in the plateau area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasites in Dogs and Cats)
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8 pages, 270 KiB  
Article
A Survey of Intestinal Helminths of Dogs in Slovakia with an Emphasis on Zoonotic Species
by Júlia Jarošová, Daniela Antolová, Branislav Lukáč and Aladár Maďari
Animals 2021, 11(10), 3000; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11103000 - 19 Oct 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2056
Abstract
Dogs are the most popular pets worldwide; however, close contact with people increases the risk of transmission of different zoonotic parasites. This study aims to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths in dogs in Slovakia. A total of 495 faecal samples collected from [...] Read more.
Dogs are the most popular pets worldwide; however, close contact with people increases the risk of transmission of different zoonotic parasites. This study aims to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths in dogs in Slovakia. A total of 495 faecal samples collected from pet, shelter, guard, working (police), and hunting dogs, as well as dogs from segregated Roma settlements between 2016 and 2021, were examined using flotation and molecular methods. Eggs of intestinal helminths were detected in 134 (27.1%) samples. Microscopically, six different species/genera/families, namely, Toxocara canis (14.7%), Toxascaris leonina (1.6%), Trichuris vulpis (6.3%), Capillaria spp. (1.4%), Ancylostoma/Uncinaria spp. (8.3%), and taeniid eggs (4.0%), were recorded. Molecular analyses revealed infection with Echinococcus multilocularis in 2.2% of dogs and 0.4% of the animals were infected with Taenia hydatigena. The results showed a correlation between the occurrence of intestinal helminths and the availability of veterinary care, as dogs from Roma settlements and shelter dogs were the most often infected (66.7% and 39.2%, respectively). On the other hand, working animals were in the best health condition, with only 2.5% being positive. The relatively frequent occurrence of zoonotic species points to the constant need for preventive measures and regular deworming of dogs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasites in Dogs and Cats)
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