ABSTRACT
@#Tritrichomonas foetus is known to cause chronic diarrhea in the feline species in many different regions of the world. However, there is a paucity of information on T. foetus among cats in Malaysia. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Tritrichomonas foetus in the pet and stray cat population in Klang Valley, Malaysia. A total of 201 pet and stray cats’ fecal samples were collected in Klang Valley. 24 samples were cultured in the InPouch® TF Feline to observe for motile trophozoites. A nested PCR protocol was used to screen for T. foetus in the collected samples. The prevalence of T. foetus in the cat population in Klang Valley was 33%. There was no association between Tritrichomonas infection and age, sex, breed or management of the cats. However, statistical analysis revealed that stray cats were more likely to be infected with T. foetus compared to pet cats. This study confirmed for the first time the presence of T. foetus among the cat population in Klang Valley, Malaysia.
ABSTRACT
@#Toxoplasma gondii, a zoonotic protozoan that has a worldwide distribution, is known to infect many warm-blooded vertebrates. The feline species including domestic cats are the definitive hosts for Toxoplama gondii and shed the infective oocyst. There is lack of information on the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in cats in Malaysia. The objective of this study was to determine both the seroprevalence of T. gondii and the prevalence of T. gondii DNA in cats’ feces in Klang Valley, Malaysia. 198 blood and 201 fecal samples were collected from pet and stray cats from the local council, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) and University Veterinary Hospital, Universiti Putra Malaysia respectively. The overall seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in cats in the Klang Valley was found to be 5.5%. There was a high prevalence (10.5%) of T. gondii DNA detected in the cat fecal samples in both pet and stray cats suggestive of T. gondii oocyst shedding. Stray cats showed a higher seroprevalence and molecular prevalence of T. gondii than the pet cats. However, comparative analysis using Chi-square test showed no significant difference between both groups (P>0.05). Higher prevalence (10.5%) of cats shedding T. gondii DNA as compared to the seroprevalence (5.5%) was found in the cat population in the Klang Valley. The high prevalence of cats shedding T. gondii DNA is alarming as this may directly reflect the number of oocysts excreted into the environment posing a significant public health hazard.