IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Dubey, J.P.; Houk, A.E.; Verma, S.K.; Calero-Bernal, R.; Humphreys, J.G.; Lindsay, D.S. | |
| Experimental transmission of _Cystoisospora felis_-like coccidium from bobcat to the domestic cat | |
| 2015 Veterinary Parasitology (211): 35-39 | |
_Cystoisospora felis_ is an ubiquitous coccidian of cats. The domestic cat (_Felis catus_) isits definitive host and several mammalian and avian species are its optional intermediate/transport hosts. Nothing is known if it is transmissible to wild felids. In the present study _C. felis_-like oocysts were found in two naturally infected bobcats (_Lynx rufus_) from Pennsylvania. To study transmission of _C. felis_-like parasite from bobcats to domestic cats, sporulated oocysts of _C. felis_-like from one bobcat were orally inoculated into interferon gamma gene knockout (KO) mice, and 56 days later tissues of KO mice were fed to two coccidian-free cats; two littermate cats were uninoculated controls. The inoculated cats and controls were euthanized five and seven days later, and their small intestines were studied histologically. One inoculated cat excreted _C. felis_-like oocysts seven days post inoculation (p.i.) and was immediately euthanized. Mature schizonts, mature male and female gamonts, and unsporulated oocysts were found in the lamina propria of small intestine; these stages were morphologically similar to _C. felis_ of domestic cats. No parasites were seen in histological sections of small intestines of the remaining three cats. The experiment was terminated at seven days p.i. (minimum prepatent period for _C. felis_) to minimize spread of this highly infectious parasite to other cats. Although oocysts of the parasite in bobcats were morphologically similar to _C. felis_ of domestic cats, the endogenous stages differed in their location of development. The bobcat derived parasite was located in the lamina propria of ileum whereas all endogenous stages of _C. felis_ of domestic cats are always located in enterocytes of intestinal epithelium. Characterization of DNA isolated from _C. felis_-like oocysts from the donor bobcat revealed that sequences of the ITS1 region was only 87% similar to the ITS1region of _C. felis_ from domestic cats. These results indicate that the parasite in bobcat is likely different than _C. felis_ of cats. |
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