Hofmann-Lehmann
Fakultäten » Vetsuisse-Fakultät » Nutztiere, Departement für » Veterinärmedizinisches Labor » Prof. Dr. Regina Hofmann-Lehmann » Hofmann-Lehmann
Completed research project
| Title / Titel | Worldwide occurrence of feline hemoplasma infections in wild felid species | ||||||
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| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||||||
| Original title / Originaltitel | Weltweites Vorkommen feline Hämoplasma Infektionen in wilden Feliden. | ||||||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | Hemotropic mycoplasmas (also known as the hemoplasmas), the causative agents of infectious anemia, are cell-wall free bacteria that attach to red blood cells of several mammalian species. Infections can induce acute hemolysis, and the disease is characterized by anorexia, lethargy, dehydration, weight loss and sudden death. In domestic cats, three different hemoplasma species have been recognized: Mycoplasma haemofelis, ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum’ and ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis’. By applying PCR-based methods, hemoplasma infections in domestic cats have been diagnosed worldwide. However, the epidemiology and transmission of these agents is still poorly understood. Blood-sucking arthropodsare suspected to be involved in the transmission of feline hemoplasmas between cats, but direct transmission and interspecies transmission between mice and cats has also been discussed. The occurrence of feline hemoplasma infections in wild felids has only marginally been addressed to date, although wild felid species could represent an important reservoir for these agents due to their common exposure to blood-sucking arthropods and their hunting activity upon rodents. The aims of the present study were to investigate 15 wild felid species from three different continents for feline hemoplasma infections and to molecularly characterize hemoplasma isolates from different origin. Blood samples from the following 257 wild felids were analyzed: 35 Iberian lynxes from Spain, 36 Eurasian lynxes from Switzerland, 31 European wildcats from France, 45 lions from Tanzania and 110 Brazilian wild felids, including 12 wild felid species kept in zoos and 1 free-ranging ocelot. Using real-time PCR, feline hemoplasmas were detected in samples of the following species: Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx, European wildcat, lion, puma, oncilla, Geoffroy’s cat, margay and ocelot. ‘Candidatus M. haemominutum’ was the most common feline hemoplasma in Iberian lynxes, Eurasian lynxes, Serengeti lions and Brazilian wild felids, whereas ‘Candidatus M. turicensis’ was the most prevalent in European wildcats; hemoplasma co-infections were frequently observed. Hemoplasma infection was associated with species and free-ranging status of the felids in all animals and with FeLV provirus-positive status in European wildcats. Phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA and the partial RNase P gene revealed that most hemoplasma isolates exhibit high sequence identities to domestic cat derived isolates, although some isolates form different subclusters within the phylogenetic tree. In conclusion, 9 out of 15 wild felid species from three different continents were found to be infected with feline hemoplasmas. The effect of feline hemoplasma infections on wild felid populations needs to be further investigated. |
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| Publications / Publikationen | Willi, B., F.S. Boretti, S. Tasker, M.L. Meli, N. Wengi, C.E. Reusch, H. Lutz, and R. Hofmann-Lehmann. 2007. From Haemobartonella to hemoplasma: molecular methods provide new insights. Vet Microbiology 125:197-209.Willi, B., C. Filoni, J. L. Catão-Diasb, V. Cattori, M. L. Meli, A. Vargas, F. Martínez, M. E. Roelke, M.-P. Ryser-Degiorgis, C. M. Leutenegger, H. Lutz, and R. Hofmann Lehmann. 2007. Worldwide occurrence of feline hemoplasma infections in wild felid species. J Clin Microbiol 45:1159-66. | ||||||
| Keywords / Suchbegriffe | Hemotropic mycoplasma, feline infectious anemia, wild felids, quantitative real-time PCR, 16S rRNA gene, reservoir | ||||||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
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| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
Forschungskredit der Universität Zürich, Foundation |
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| In collaboration with / In Zusammenarbeit mit |
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| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Feb 2003 to Jan 2007 |