Naturally occurring Sarcocystis infection in domestic cats ( Felis catus)

• Published in: International journal for parasitology Vol. 33; no. 8; pp. 877 - 883
• Main Authors: Gillis, K.D, MacKay, R.J, Yowell, C.A, Levy, J.K, Greiner, E.C, Dame, J.B, Cheadle, M.A, Hernandez, J, Massey, E.T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 30.07.2003; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Protozoan - blood; Biological and medical sciences; Cat Diseases - parasitology; Cats; Disease Vectors; DNA, Protozoan - genetics; Domestic cats; Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis; Felis; Felis catus; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Medically important nuisances and vectors, pests of stored products and materials: population survey and control; Muscle, Skeletal - parasitology; Sarcocyst; Sarcocystis - classification; Sarcocystis - immunology; Sarcocystis - isolation & purification; Sarcocystis - ultrastructure; Sarcocystis felis; Sarcocystis neurona; Sarcocystosis - parasitology; Sarcocystosis - veterinary; Vectors. Intermediate hosts; Sarcocystis neurona; Sarcocyst; Domestic cats; Sarcocystis felis; Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis; Host parasite relation; Protozoal disease; Prevalence; Equine encephalitis; Felis catus; Arbovirus disease; Domestic animal; Equine protozoal mycloencephalitis; Fissipedia; Protozoa; Apicomplexa; Carnivora; Nervous system diseases; Parasitosis; Cerebral disorder; Infection; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Viral disease; Central nervous system disease; Cat; Intermediate host; Parasitism; Sarcosystic felis
• ISSN: 0020-7519; 1879-0135
• DOI: 10.1016/S0020-7519(03)00090-0

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis is an important neurological disease of horses in the United States. Consequently, there is an active research effort to identify hosts associated with the primary causative agent, Sarcocystis neurona. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the domestic cat ( Felis catus) is a natural host for S. neurona. Muscle sections from 50 primarily free-roaming domestic cats were examined for the presence of sarcocysts. Serum from cats in this group and another group of 50 free-roaming cats were evaluated for the presence of S. neurona antibody. Sarcocysts were found in five of 50 (10%) cats, and S. neurona antibody in five of 100 (5%) cats. Morphological, molecular (including ribosomal RNA genes), and biological characterisation of these sarcocysts showed that they were not S. neurona or S. neurona-like. Sarcocysts found in the cats were identified morphologically as Sarcocystis felis, a common parasite of wild felids. The life cycle of S. felis is not known, and prior to this study, no molecular marker for S. felis existed. Although cats were found to be infected with S. felis sarcocysts, serological data provided evidence of possible infection with S. neurona as well. Further work is needed to determine the role of the domestic cat in the life cycle of S. neurona.