Prevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus infection in domesticated and feral cats in eastern Australia.

Serum samples from 340 pet cats presented to three inner city clinics in Sydney Australia, 68 feral cats from two separate colonies in Sydney, and 329 cattery-confined pedigree and domestic cats in eastern Australia, were collected over a 2-year period and tested for antibodies directed against feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) using immunomigration (Agen FIV Rapid Immunomigration test) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods (Snap Combo feline leukaemia virus antigen/FIV antibody test kit, IDEXX Laboratories). Western blot analysis was performed on samples in which there was discrepancy between the results. Information regarding breed, age, gender, housing arrangement and health status were recorded for all pet and cattery-confined cats, while the estimated age and current physical condition were recorded for feral cats. The FIV prevalence in the two feral cat populations was 21% and 25%. The majority of FIV-positive cats were male (60-80%). The FIV prevalence in cattery-confined cats was nil. The prevalence of FIV in the pet cat sample population was 8% (27/340) with almost equal prevalence in 'healthy' (13/170) and 'systemically unwell' (14/170) cats. The age of FIV-positive pet cats ranged from 3 to 19 years; all FIV-positive cats were domestic shorthairs with outside access. The median age of FIV-positive pet cats (11 years) was significantly greater than the median age of FIV-negative pet cats (7.5 years: P<0.05). The prevalence of FIV infection in male pet cats (21/172; 12%) was three times that in female pet cats (6/168; 4%; P<0.05). With over 80% of this pet cat population given outside access and continued FIV infection present in the feral population, this study highlights the need to develop rapid, accurate and cost-effective diagnostic methods that are not subject to false positives created by concurrent vaccination against FIV. This is especially important in re-homing stray cats within animal shelters and monitoring the efficacy of the new vaccine, which has not been challenged against Australian strains. The absence of FIV within cattery-confined cats highlights the value in routine screening and indoor lifestyles. This study provides cogent baseline FIV prevalences in three cat subpopulations which can be used for appraising potential disease associations with FIV in Australia.

Faecal microbiota of cats with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus.

Microorganisms within the gastrointestinal tract significantly influence metabolic processes within their mammalian host, and recently several groups have sought to characterise the gastrointestinal microbiota of individuals affected by metabolic disease. Differences in the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiota have been reported in mouse models of type 2 diabetes mellitus, as well as in human patients. Diabetes mellitus in cats has many similarities to type 2 diabetes in humans. No studies of the gastrointestinal microbiota of diabetic cats have been previously published. The objectives of this study were to compare the composition of the faecal microbiota of diabetic and non-diabetic cats, and secondarily to determine if host signalment and dietary factors influence the composition of the faecal microbiota in cats. Faecal samples were collected from insulin-treated diabetic and non-diabetic cats, and Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and quantitative PCR were performed on each sample. ANOSIM based on the unweighted UniFrac distance metric identified no difference in the composition of the faecal microbiota between diabetic and non-diabetic cats, and no significant differences in the proportions of dominant bacteria by phylum, class, order, family or genus as determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing were identified between diabetic and non-diabetic cats. qPCR identified a decrease in Faecalibacterium spp. in cats aged over ten years. Cat breed or gender, dietary carbohydrate, protein or fat content, and dietary formulation (wet versus dry food) did not affect the composition of the faecal microbiota. In conclusion, the composition of the faecal microbiota was not altered by the presence of diabetes mellitus in cats. Additional studies that compare the functional products of the microbiota in diabetic and non-diabetic cats are warranted to further investigate the potential impact of the gastrointestinal microbiota on metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus in cats.

Naturally occurring Tritrichomonas foetus infections in Australian cats: 38 cases.

A total of 38 cases of naturally occurring intestinal tritrichomoniasis in Australian cats are described. Detailed information was available for 13 cases diagnosed in two veterinary hospitals, one in Victoria and one in New South Wales (NSW). In all instances, presumptive microscopic diagnoses were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Affected cats were generally young (median age 8 months) and of a pedigree breed (12/13 cats; 92%). Diarrhoea was observed in 10 cats (77%); the remaining three cats were asymptomatic and detected by screening undertaken because these cats cohabited with symptomatic cases. Concurrent infections with Giardia species (7/13 cats; 54%), and Toxocara species and Eucoleus species (2/13 cats; 15%) were identified. Treatment of tritrichomoniasis with ronidazole at a dose of 30mg/kg once or twice a day, in concert with appropriate therapy of concurrent gastrointestinal infections, resolved diarrhoea in all cats treated. Limited case details of a further 25 infected cats were obtained from a commercial laboratory offering a real-time PCR assay for Tritrichomonas foetus, and compared with findings from the 13 cats presenting to the contributing veterinary hospitals. All samples submitted to this laboratory returning a positive PCR result were from pedigree cats maintained in multi-cat facilities. Most of the samples were derived from Victoria (4/8 catteries tested; 50%), although positive samples were also identified from cats in NSW (1/4 catteries tested; 25%), Queensland (1/4 catteries; 25%), Tasmania (1/4 catteries; 25%) and South Australia (1/4 catteries; 25%). Our impression is that intestinal tritrichomoniasis is an emerging infectious disease of Australian cats. Tests to detect T foetus should be a routine component of the work-up of chronic diarrhoea in cats, especially young purebred cats.