Economic quantification of Chlamydophila and Toxoplasmosis in Domestic cats (Felis catus)

Bhadesiya C. M.; Raval S. K.; Shah A. S. and Joshi R. S. Department of Veterinary Medicine College of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry A.A.U., Anand-388001

 Disease in domesticated and sometimes non-domesticated livestock population reduces the quantity and/or quality of livestock products available for human consumption (i.e., benefit) and sometimes, human health is also affected directly. The cat (Felis catus), also known as domestic cat or house cat, is a small furry domesticated carnivorous mammal and is valued by humans for its companionship as household pets. Originally domesticated because they hunted mice that would eat stored grains which was a beneficial situation for both species and mutually beneficial arrangement began the relationship between cats and humans which continues to this day.

Cats have been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years, and are currently the most popular pet in the world.

 Many superstitions associated with cats lead many people avoid keeping cat as pet in India.

The domestic cat was first classified as Felis catus by Carlous Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema naturae of 1758.
Wildcats have also been referred to as subspecies of Felis catus, but in 2003 the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) various fixed the name for wildcats as Felis silvestris. Feral, stray and pet cats were studied; they are all domestic cats, but stray cats and feral cats are different from each other in a very important way in their relationship and interactions with people. Pets and stray cats are socialized to people. Feral cats are not socialized to people, they are socialized to their colony members and bonded to each other; they do not have that same relationship with people. So, a stray cat is not a feral cat.

 Most common infectious diseases of cats are feline panleukopenia (FPV), Feline Rhinotrachitis, feline immunodeficiency (FIV), feline leukaemia (FeLV), rabies, Cryptococosis, chlamydophilia, parasitic infestation with Ascaris spp., Toxocara spp., Isospora felis, Toxoplasma gondii and etc. Because of their small size, domesticated house cats pose little physical danger to adult humans. Many cat-bites will become infected, sometimes with serious consequences such as Cat Scratch Disease (CSD) or more rarely rabies. Cats may also pose a danger to pregnant women and immunosuppressed individuals, since their stool can transmit toxoplasmosis. A large percentage of cats are infected with this parasite, with infection rates ranging from around 40 to 60% in both domestic and stray cats worldwide.

Thus, domestication of cat has some problems. The information regarding the disease feline medicine for large cat is available but the information on prevalence and techno-economics of some important diseases and their treatment for domesticated cat is less available.

 Toxoplasma gondii : An obligate intracellular protozoan parasite with worldwide distribution in the genus Toxoplasma.

The definitive host is the cat, but the parasite can be carried by many warm-blooded animals (birds or mammals, including humans).
Rodents are the typical intermediate host. Cats continuously shed oocysts in faeces following infection and becomes the major source of contamination.

 Toxoplasma gondii mostly affects cats asymptomatically and has zoonotic importance to pregnant woman and immunocompromised people.

In many regions of the world, abortion in pregnant woman have been reported because of toxoplasmosis mostly acquired through contact with cats and eating or raw or uncooked contaminated meat.
Considering the zoonotic aspects, Rahman et al. (2008) recorded seroprevalence of Toxoplasmosis as 9.54% (23/241) using commercial ELISA kits in 241 human sera from human population in Assam. Higher prevalence of toxoplasmosis in cats is recorded from many countries using various diagnostic tests.

Toxoplasmas resistance to antibiotics varies, but the cysts are very difficult to eradicate entirely.

Diagnosis of toxoplasmosis can be performed by using various techniques.

Saben-Feldman dye test, Modified Agglutination Test (MAT), Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test (IFAT), Latex Agglutination Test (LAT), Complement Fixation Test (CFT), Serological Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM testing and bioassay in mice, Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).

 Suggested treatment for the disease is Clindamycin (12.5 mg/kg, PO q12h for 28 days), Trimethoprim-sulfonamide (15 mg/kg, PO q12h for 28 days) or Azithromycin (10 mg/kg, PO q12h for 7 days). Prevention of the spread of the disease is of importance and candidate strains for vaccines have been generated by several different means.

To study the techno-economic aspects of the disease.

Sample Collection

Faecal samples Blood samples

 Fecal Sample of suspected cats were collected and examined as per standard parasitological examination.
Blood samples were collected for evaluation of hematological and serological parameters.

Diagnosis of both the diseases using rapid diagnostic kits.

Techno economic aspect of disease: The economic loss occurs due to important disease was calculated.

Rapid Diagnostic Kit

Interpretation of Rapid Diagnostic Kit

Chlamydophilia affected cat

Name of Disease Parasitic disease (n=64) a. a. a. Toxocara spp. Ascaris spp. Isospora spp. Total Viral Disease (n=60) a. Feline Panleukopenia (FPV) Total Viral Disease(n=34) a. a. Feline Leukaemia (FeLV) Feline immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)

Total no. of animals screened and disease prevalence rate

13 (20.31 %) 12 (18.75 %) 04 (6.25 %) 29 (45.31%)

04 (6.67%) 04 (6.67%)

0 (0%) 0 (0%)

Total
Toxoplasam gondii Chlamydophilia felis Other non infectious condition (n=116) a. a. Dog/Cat Bite Fracture/Spinal Cord Injury Total

0 (0%)
11 (45.83 %) 10 (41.67%)

16 (13.79%) 12 (10.35%) 28 (24.14%)

BREED

Persian

Stray/ND

Type of Diet

Commercial

Home-made

Health-status

Healthy (Good)

Weak (Poor)

Hygienic Condition

Poor hygiene

Good hygienic practice

Housing

Outdoor access type

Confined

Total number of domesticated cats affected by disease, number of treatments required and average of approximate cost of one standard treatment was calculated. Above information was collected by inquiry and considering the present market price of drugs supported with veterinarian charges. The total cost of treatment in domesticated cat disease was calculated by using following formula

Total cost of Treatment (`.)

Number (No.) of treatments required

Cost of treatment (`.)

Average Sr. No. Total No. Name of disease of animal treatment cost/case/day (`) Average days per Total cost of treatment/

Average treatment cost/animal

affected

event

(`)

(`)

Chlamydophila 1

felis infected cat

Toxoplasma

10

200

6000

600

gondii cat

infected

11

150

6600

660

Total

21

350

12600

600

 Toxoplasmosis and chlamydophilia have zoonotic importance, so they require further studies for prevention. Further epidemiological and biological surveillance are needed to control the disease in stray and domestic cats.