Download Leptospirosis in cats

Leptospirosis in cats
FACT SHEET
Whatisleptospirosis?
n
Leptospiraspp.aremobilebacteriathatcaninfectmany
mammalianspecies,includinghumans.Leptospirosisisconsidereda
zoonoticdisease(Weil’sdiseaseinhumans).
n
Subclinicallyinfectedwildanddomesticanimalsarereservoir
hostsandapotentialsourceofinfection.
n
Catsseemtodevelopclinicalsignsonlyrarely,buttheycanbe
InfectioninfectedwithLeptospiraspp.andshedleptospiresintheirurine,andthus
§ Thereareover250pathogenicserovars,adaptedtodifferentwildor
serveasasourceofinfection.
domesticanimalreservoirhosts.
n
§ Leptospiresarefoundintheenvironment,particularlyincontaminated
water,wheretheycanremaininfectiousforseveralmonths.
§ Incats,infectionwithdifferentserovarshasbeenidentified
(e.g.L.icterohaemorrhagiae,canicola,grippotyphosa,pomona,hardjo,
autumnalis,andballum).
§ Transmissionofleptospiresoccursbydirectorindirectcontact.
- Catsmostlybecomeinfectedthroughfeedingonnaturalreservoir
hosts,suchaswhenhuntingrodents.Catscanalsobeexposedtourine
ofcohabitatingdogs.
- Transmissionthroughwatercontactislesslikelyincats.
§ Afterpenetrationofmucousmembranesorskin,leptospiresmultiply
rapidlyuponenteringthebloodvascularspace.Theycaninvademany
organs,especiallythekidney,inwhichleptospirescanpersistandcause
sheddingformonthstoyears.
Diagnosis
§ Fordirectidentificationofleptospires,PCRiscommonlyperformed.
- PCRcandetectleptospiralDNAinurine,blood,ortissuesamples
andconfirmstheinfection(ifresultsarepositive).
- NegativePCRresultsdonotruleoutinfectionduetointermittent
shedding.Ifthecathasreceivedantibiotics,PCRbecomes
negativewithinhours.
§ Oftheantibodytests,MATisthetestofchoice.
- However,correctassessmentofMATresultsisdifficultdueto
inter-laboratoryvariationanddifferencesinhost-specific
immunity.Cross-reactivitymakesidentificationoftheinfecting
serovarimpossible.
- Asnofelinevaccinesareavailable,MATresultsaremore
meaningfulincatsthanindogs.
n AdefinitivediagnosisofinfectionisbasedonraisingMATtitres
(4-foldincrease/2titresteps)with7-14daysapart.
Diseasemanagement
n Inhealthycatsthatshedleptospires,treatmentwithdoxycycline(5
mg/kgq12hPOfor3weeks)shouldbeinitiatedtoeliminatethe
carrierstate.
n Asindogs,treatmentofillcatsconsistsofantibioticsandsupportive
therapy,dependingontheseverityofclinicalsigns.
Clinicalsigns
n
Experimentalinfectionofcatsresultsinleptospiraemiaand
Prevention
leptospiruria,butonlymildclinicalsignsresultdespitehistologicevidence
§ Novaccineisavailableforcats.
ofrenalandhepaticinflammation.
§ Theonlywaytopreventcatsfromgettinginfectedistoavoidthem
n
Clinicalsignsinnaturallyinfectedcatsseemtoberare,but
feedingonpotentiallyinfectedrodentsandpossiblycontactwith
pathogenesisoffelineleptospirosisisnotyetwellunderstood.
stagnantwater.
n
However,recentstudieshavedemonstratedapotentialassociation
§
Catsthatarekeptindoorsonlyhaveaverylowriskofbeinginfected.
betweenfelinechronickidneydiseaseandLeptospiraspp.infection,but
theimportanceofLeptospiraspp.aspathogensincatshastobefurther
investigated.
n
If you found this ABCD information valuable, please tell a colleague. To download the ABCD fact sheets, or the full disease guidelines, please visit our website:
www.abcdcatsvets.org The ABCD is an independent panel of experts in feline health supported by Merial. May 2016.
FACT SHEET
Immunohistologystainingofleptospiresinthekidneysof
aninfectedhamster.Leptospiresstainedwithspecific
antiserum(arrow)areseenliningtheproximalrenal
tubules(courtesyofBenAdler,AustralianResearchCouncil
CentreofExcellenceinStructuralandFunctionalMicrobial
Genomics,MonashUniversity,Clayton,Australia).
Darkfieldphotomicrograph(a)andshadowedelectron
micrograph(b)ofLeptospiraspp.(courtesyofBenAdler,
AustralianResearchCouncilCentreofExcellenceinStructuraland
FunctionalMicrobialGenomics,MonashUniversity,Clayton,
Australia).