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http://dspace.mediu.edu.my:8181/xmlui/handle/10261/3354| Title: | Worldwide Occurrence of Feline Hemoplasma Infections in Wild Felid Species |
| Publisher: | American Society for Microbiology |
| Description: | While hemoplasma infections in domestic cats are well studied, almost no information is available on their
occurrence in wild felids. The aims of the present study were to investigate wild felid species as possible
reservoirs of feline hemoplasmas and the molecular characterization of the hemoplasma isolates. Blood
samples from the following 257 wild felids were analyzed: 35 Iberian lynxes from Spain, 36 Eurasian lynxes
from Switzerland, 31 European wildcats from France, 45 lions from Tanzania, and 110 Brazilian wild felids,
including 12 wild felid species kept in zoos and one free-ranging ocelot. Using real-time PCR, feline hemoplasmas
were detected in samples of the following species: Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx, European wildcat, lion,
puma, oncilla, Geoffroy’s cat, margay, and ocelot. “Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum” was the most
common feline hemoplasma in Iberian lynxes, Eurasian lynxes, Serengeti lions, and Brazilian wild felids,
whereas “Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis” was the most prevalent in European wildcats; hemoplasma
coinfections were frequently observed. Hemoplasma infection was associated with species and free-ranging
status of the felids in all animals and with feline leukemia virus provirus-positive status in European wildcats.
Phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA and the partial RNase P gene revealed that most hemoplasma isolates
exhibit high sequence identities to domestic cat-derived isolates, although some isolates form different subclusters
within the phylogenetic tree. In conclusion, 9 out of 15 wild felid species from three different continents
were found to be infected with feline hemoplasmas. The effect of feline hemoplasma infections on wild felid
populations needs to be further investigated. This work was supported by a research grant (Forschungskredit 2002) of the University of Zurich; by the Janggen-Poehn Foundation, St. Gallen; by the Roche Research Foundation, Basel; and by Merial GmbH, Germany. R.H.-L. is the recipient of a professorship from the Swiss National Science Foundation (PP00B-102866). Peer reviewed |
| URI: | http://dspace.mediu.edu.my:8181/xmlui/handle/10261/3354 |
| Other Identifiers: | Journal Clinical Microbiology 45(4): 1159–1166 (2007) 1098-660X http://hdl.handle.net/10261/3354 10.1128/JCM.02005-06 |
| Appears in Collections: | Digital Csic |
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