RESUMO
The Iriomote cat (IC), Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis, and the Tsushima leopard cat (TLC), Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus, are endangered subspecies of leopard cats in Japan. In addition to habitat destruction and road kills, infectious diseases may threaten their populations, and infection with arthropod-borne pathogens has been reported in both subspecies. Infestations with ectoparasites, especially ticks, have frequently been observed in ICs and TLCs. In the present study, ticks collected from captured ICs and TLCs between November 2011 and January 2012 were morphologically identified and the prevalence of the pathogens Bartonella sp., Babesia sp., Ehrlichia sp., Anaplasma sp., Hepatozoon sp., and hemoplasmas in the ticks was molecularly evaluated. The ticks Haemaphysalis longicornis, H. hystricis, and Amblyomma testudinarium were obtained from ICs, and H. megaspinosa, Ixodes tanuki, H. campanulata, and A. testudinarium were collected from TLCs. The pathogens Hepatozoon felis, Babesia sp., and Anaplasma bovis were detected in ticks obtained from ICs, while H. felis. Babesia sp., Ehrlichia sp., E. muris, 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum', and Bartonella henselae were found in ticks from TLCs. To protect and conserve these endangered animals, continuous monitoring and additional surveys will be necessary to understand the role of ticks as disease vectors in Japanese wildcats.
Assuntos
Vetores Artrópodes , Felidae/parasitologia , Infestações por Carrapato/veterinária , Carrapatos , Anaplasma/genética , Anaplasma/isolamento & purificação , Animais , Vetores Artrópodes/classificação , Vetores Artrópodes/microbiologia , Vetores Artrópodes/parasitologia , Babesia/genética , Babesia/isolamento & purificação , Bartonella/genética , Bartonella/isolamento & purificação , Sequência de Bases , Ehrlichia/genética , Ehrlichia/isolamento & purificação , Eucoccidiida/genética , Eucoccidiida/isolamento & purificação , Feminino , Japão/epidemiologia , Masculino , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Filogenia , Análise de Sequência de DNA , Especificidade da Espécie , Infestações por Carrapato/epidemiologia , Carrapatos/classificação , Carrapatos/microbiologia , Carrapatos/parasitologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Portable blood glucose meters (PBGMs) are useful for serial measurements of blood glucose and creation of blood glucose curves in veterinary practice. However, it is necessary to validate PBGMs designed for people for veterinary use. OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to evaluate the accuracy of 2 PBGMs designed for people for use in dogs and cats. METHODS: The blood glucose levels were determined in blood samples collected from 69 dogs and 26 cats admitted to the Kagoshima University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, using a MEDISAFE [PBGM-T] and an Antsense III [PBGM-H], and a FUJI DRI-CHEM 7000V as reference method. The correlations and agreements among the results were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Simple regression analyses revealed a high correlation between values from both PBGMs and the reference method in both dogs and cats. However, Passing-Bablok regression and Bland-Altman analyses revealed that the data from both PBGMs did not show statistical agreement with the reference values. Concordance correlated coefficients were moderate for the PBGM-T and almost perfect for the PBGM-H for canine samples, and were poor for the PBGM-T and substantial for the PBGM-H for feline samples. Hematocrit values significantly affected the results of the PBGM-T, but not the PBGM-H. Error grid analyses revealed that all measurements from both PBGMs would lead to acceptable treatment decisions. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that both PBGMs, especially the PBGM-H, would be clinically useful in small animal practice, although there was a bias between each PBGM and the reference method.