A Molecular Survey on Neglected <i>Gurltia paralysans</i> and <i>Aelurostrongylus abstrusus</i> Infections in Domestic Cats (<i>Felis catus</i>) from Southern Chile

• Main Authors: Natasha Barrios, Marcelo Gómez, Macarena Zanelli, Lisbeth Rojas-Barón, Paulina Sepúlveda-García, Amir Alabí, Melany Adasme, Ananda Müller, Carla Rosenfeld, César González-Lagos, Anja Taubert, Carlos Hermosilla
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-09-01
• Series: Pathogens
• Subjects: <i>Gurltia paralysans</i>; <i>Aelurostrongylus abstrusus</i>; metastrongyloidea; domestic cat; <i>Felis catus</i>
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/10/9/1195

<i>Gurltia paralysans</i> and <i>Aelurostrongylus abstrusus</i> are neglected metastrongyloid nematode species which infect domestic and wild cats in South American countries and in Chile, but no epidemiological studies on concomitant infections have been conducted in Chile so far. The aim of this study was not only to evaluate the occurrence of concomitant infections, but also to identify epidemiological risk factors associated with of <i>G. paralysans</i> and <i>A. abstrusus</i> infections in urban domestic cats (<i>Felis catus</i>) from Southern Chile. Blood samples from clinically healthy domestic cats from three cities of Southern Chile—Temuco, Valdivia, and Puerto Montt—were analyzed by an experimental semi-nested PCR protocol. A total of 171 apparently healthy domestic cats in Temuco (<i>n</i> = 68), Valdivia (<i>n</i> = 50), and Puerto Montt (<i>n</i> = 53) were sampled and analyzed. A total of 93 domestic cats (54.4%) were positive for <i>G. paralysans</i>, and 34 (19.9%) were positive for <i>A. abstrusus</i> infections. From those animals, 34 (19.9%) were co-infected. Cats positive with <i>G. paralysans</i> were found in all three cities; 47.2% in Puerto Montt, 48% in Valdivia, and 64.7% in Temuco. Levels of infection for <i>A. abstrusus</i> in the population under study were 4% (Valdivia), 10% (Puerto Montt), and 32.4% (Temuco). The present large-scale epidemiological study confirmed the presence of these neglected nematodes in domestic cat populations in Southern Chile, and described the possible risk factors associated with feline gurltiosis and aelurostrongylosis.