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. 2018 Mar 20;11(1):167.
doi: 10.1186/s13071-018-2767-y.

Molecular detection of Anaplasma bovis, Ehrlichia canis and Hepatozoon felis in cats from Luanda, Angola

Ana Cristina Oliveira  1 , Maria Francisca Luz  1 , Sara Granada  1 , Hugo Vilhena  2   3   4 , Yaarit Nachum-Biala  5 , Ana Patrícia Lopes  4   6 , Luís Cardoso  4   6 , Gad Baneth  7
Affiliations

Molecular detection of Anaplasma bovis, Ehrlichia canis and Hepatozoon felis in cats from Luanda, Angola

Ana Cristina Oliveira et al. Parasit Vectors. .

Abstract

Background: Molecular identification of tick-borne pathogen infection in cats from Africa is scarce. The presence of bacterial (Anaplasma and Ehrlichia) and protozoal (Babesia and Hepatozoon) agents was investigated in blood samples from 102 domestic cats from Luanda, Angola, by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing.

Results: Three cats (2.9%) were found infected with Ehrlichia canis, three (2.9%) with Hepatozoon felis and one (1.0%) with Anaplasma bovis. The prevalence of infections with one single agent was 4.9%, and that of infection with two agents (i.e. E. canis and H. felis) was 1.0%. In total, six cats (5.9%) were found infected with at least one of the detected tick-borne agents.

Conclusions: This is the first report of A. bovis, E. canis and H. felis in cats from Angola. To the best of our knowledge, A. bovis is also being reported for the first time in domestic cats outside of Japan. Cats are at a low to moderate risk of being infected with tick-borne agents in Luanda.

Keywords: DNA sequencing; Feline vector-borne diseases; Polymerase chain reaction; Tick-borne pathogens.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was ethically approved by the scientific council of the Vasco da Gama University School as complying with the Portuguese legislation for the protection of animals (Law no. 92/1995 and Decree-Law no. 113/2013). Owners or legal holders provided their signed informed consent for inclusion of their animals in the study.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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