Prevalence of feline haemoplasma infection in cats in Southern Bavaria, Germany, and infection risk factor analysis

Abstract

In this prospective study performed from samples of 296 cats from Southern Bavaria, Germany, a conventional PCR (polymerase chain reaction) assay for detection of Mycoplasma haemofelis and "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum" and a real-time PCR for "Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis" were used to test blood samples from ill cats with anaemia (n = 79), ill cats with a normal haematocrit (n = 98), and healthy cats (n = 119). The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of feline haemoplasma infection and associated risk factors in cats in Southern Bavaria, Germany. Thirty-six cats (12.2%) were PCR positive: 9.5% were infected with "Candidatus M. haemominutum, 1.4% with M. haemofelis, and 0.3% with "Candidatus M. turicensis". Three cats (1.0%) were coinfected with two haemoplasma species (one cat with "Candidatus M. haemominutum"and M. haemofelis, and two cats with "Candidatus M. haemominutum"and "Candidatus M. turicensis"). Risk factors for infection were outdoor access, male gender, coinfection with feline leukaemia virus (FeLV), and domestic shorthair breed. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of haemoplasma infection between the three groups and none of the positive cats had clinical signs of haemoplasma infection. The authors conclude that feline haemoplasma infection does not appear to be a common cause of anaemia in cats in Southern Bavaria, Germany.