Page 8 - Poster presentation KVAC 22

Prevalence of Mycoplasma felis isolates from cats with and without

ocular and upper respiratory tract infection in Khon Kaen province

Nitiwadee Lertitthikul , Khemjira Tanwarach , Jedsada Jitjak , Thunwarat Chotsangsri ,
1,5
2
2
2

Saikam Chaimongkol , Patchara Phuektes 4,5 Suphattra Jittimanee *
4,5
3,5

1 Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand

2 5th year student of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand

3 Veterinary Livestock Diagnostic Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand.

4 Division of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand

5 Research group for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in animals and zoonotic diseases Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand

*Corresponding author: suphattra@kku.ac.th

Keywords: Conjunctivitis, Feline, Mycoplasma felis, Prevalence, Upper respiratory tract infection (URI)

Introduction Results & Discussion

Upper respiratory tract infection (URI) and the ocular Overall prevalence rates of M. felis in this study were 15.07% as

disease are common problems in cats caused by shown in Table 1. However, no significant difference was

bacterial or/and viral infection. Mycoplasma felis (M. observed between the prevalence of M. felis infection from a

felis) is also one of the major causes of ocular disease clinical signs group and without the clinical signs group (Table 1).

and URI [1]. Up to date, no vaccine was available for M. Based on 37 clinical cats were revealed clinical signs of

felis protection, and the diagnosis by culture was conjunctivitis (66.67%), URI (13.51%), stomatitis or gingivitis

difficult and time-consuming. In addition, there was no (8.15%), conjunctivitis with URI (5.4%), and conjunctivitis with

report on the prevalence of M. felis in Thailand. stomatitis or gingivitis (5.4%), respectively. Nevertheless, all

Therefore, this study aimed to investigates the positive from the clinical signs group were only found in

prevalence of M. felis isolates from cats with and conjunctivitis cats.

without ocular and URI in Khon Kaen province.

Table 1. Numbers & percentage of positive M. felis cats in each group.

Materials and methods Number of Percentage

Number

Group of study M. felis of M. felis

of cats

positive cats positive cats

cats without clinical signs 36 3 8.33%

Cats with ocular diseases 37 8 21.62%

and/or URI

Total 73 11 15.07%

The prevalence rate of overall cats in this study is lower than

many previously reported in the United States [3], Spain [1],

and Poland [4], except in South Korea [5]. Differences in the

prevalence are the most likely due to the sample sizes and the

different sources of cat since free-roaming cats or shelters

Conjunctival and corneal swab samples were collected were increased risk of developing infectious respiratory [6].

from 2 groups; cats with ocular disease and/or URI Moreover, It is possible that some cats were being treated with

(n=37) and cats without clinical signs (n=36) that antimicrobials, which could have reduced the detection rates.

enrolled at Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Khon Kaen The immunological status of each cat and the state of infection

University from July – December 2020. All samples also play major keys in the presence of M. felis infection.

were tested for M. felis DNA targeting on tuf gene using Furthermore, more samples from domestic cats in different

a modified real-time PCR assay [2]. The Chi-square test areas should be added for further epidemiological study of M.

was used to compare between 2 groups with the felis infection in Thailand.

significance value at P-value < 0.05.

Acknowledgment

References

The authors would like to thank the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon

Kaen University, Thailand, and the research group for emerging and re-

emerging infectious diseases in animals and zoonotic diseases, Faculty of

Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand, for the financial

support.