Prevalence of Cytauxzoon felis (Protista: Apicomplexa) in Feral Cats in Russellville Arkansas

Cytauxzoon felis (C. felis) is a protozoan hemoparasite of domestic and wild felids. Transmitted by ixodid ticks, the sylvatic reservoir for this organism in North America is the bobcat (Lynx rufus) in which the infection is apparently self-limiting. In domestic cats (Felis catus), C. felis causes a highly fatal disease with a distribution that covers much of the central, southcentral and southeastern U.S. and parallels that of the primary vector, the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum). Interestingly, there appears to be an increased survival rate in domestic cats in the geographic area of the Ozark Plateau. In this study, convenience blood samples from apparently healthy feral cats were microscopically evaluated for the presence of C. felis merozoites. Positive samples were submitted for PCR confirmation by a commercial laboratory. Results indicated a prevalence of 13% (4/32) in this population. Understanding the prevalence of C. felis infection in feral cats is central to evaluating their potential role as a reservoir for the disease and may also further our understanding about the variable pathogenicity of this organism.