RESUMO
A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in a sample of domestic cats in Perth and the knowledge of their owners about the control and potential for zoonotic transmission of these parasites. Faecal samples (418), collected from cats originating from five sources, were examined by microscopy and questionnaires administered to cat owners. Forty randomly selected samples were also screened using PCR in order to detect cysts of Giardia and oocysts of Cryptosporidium that may have been present in a faecal sample at very low levels. The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in domestic cats by microscopy was 8.6%. Pet shop kittens had the highest parasite prevalence (34.3%), followed by cats and kittens from breeding establishments (15.8%), refuge cats and kittens (8.3%), privately owned cats (2.3%), and boarding cats and kittens (1.6%). Surprisingly, 80% of the 40 cats tested by PCR were positive for Giardia duodenalis and 10% for Cryptosporidium. None of these cats were positive on microscopy. After adjusting for other factors with multiple logistic regression, kittens less than 6 months of age, and cats living in households with more than one cat or with a dog were significantly more likely to be parasitised. In the logistic regression model, the presence of parasitism was also significantly influenced by the number of anthelmintic doses administered in the 12 month period prior to the study. The majority (64.5%) of cat owners were aware that feline parasites could be transmitted to humans, however less than half (42.8%) were aware of the modes of transmission to humans.
Assuntos
Doenças do Gato/epidemiologia , Enteropatias Parasitárias/veterinária , Fatores Etários , Criação de Animais Domésticos/métodos , Animais , Animais Domésticos , Doenças do Gato/transmissão , Gatos , Cryptosporidium/genética , Cryptosporidium/isolamento & purificação , Fezes/parasitologia , Feminino , Giardia/genética , Giardia/isolamento & purificação , Enteropatias Parasitárias/epidemiologia , Enteropatias Parasitárias/transmissão , Modelos Logísticos , Masculino , Contagem de Ovos de Parasitas/veterinária , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase/métodos , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase/veterinária , Prevalência , Fatores de Risco , Inquéritos e Questionários , Austrália Ocidental/epidemiologia , Zoonoses/parasitologiaRESUMO
Microscopy, PCR and a Giardia CELISA test were used to determine the prevalence of Giardia in 40 faecal samples obtained from domestic cats in the Perth metropolitan area. A prevalence of 5, 80 and 60% was found by the tests, respectively. The results show that more sensitive techniques such as PCR may be necessary, and may yield more reliable results, in the detection of low levels of Giardia in domestic cats.
