Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-jr42d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T05:18:47.251Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Descriptive epidemiology of intestinal helminth parasites from stray cat populations in Qatar

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2008

M.A. Abu-Madi ,
P. Pal ,
A. Al-Thani  and
J.W. Lewis
M.A. Abu-Madi*
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar
P. Pal
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
A. Al-Thani
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar
J.W. Lewis
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
*
*Fax: 00974 4651657 E-mail: abumadi@qu.edu.qa
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A total of 488 stray cats, 212 adult and 29 juvenile females plus 235 adult and 12 juvenile males, were examined post-mortem during the winter and summer months of 2006 from five sites in the vicinity of Doha and its outskirts. Five helminths, comprising three nematode and two cestode species were identified and the majority of cats harboured two of these species. The most prevalent was the cestode Taenia taeniaeformis (75.8%), followed by the cestode Diplopylidium sp. (42.8%), and the nematodes Ancylostoma tubaeforme (17.0%), Physaloptera sp. (6.6%) and Toxocara cati (0.8%). All five species were found to be typically overdispersed in their distribution. Using univariate and multivariate analyses, the prevalence and abundance of infections were primarily influenced by host gender and season, with females tending to harbour higher levels of infection during the summer. No significant differences were found relative to site except in the case of Physaloptera sp. Using bivariate Pearson product moment correlations, significant positive co-occurrences were identified between Diplopylidium sp. and T. taeniaeformis and also between A. tubaeforme and T. taeniaeformis. The results are discussed in relation to the effect of environmental conditions on the intestinal helminth infracommunities and their possible interactions in stray cat populations from such a harsh and arid region as Qatar.

Type
Research Papers
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 82 , Issue 1 , March 2008 , pp. 59 - 68
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abu-Madi, M., Behnke, J.M., Lewis, J.W. & Gilbert, F.S. (1998) Descriptive epidemiology of Heligmosomoides polygyrus in Apodemus sylvaticus from three contrasting habitats in south-east England. Journal of Helminthology 72, 93–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Abu-Madi, M., Behnke, J.M., Lewis, J.W. & Gilbert, F.S. (2000) Seasonal and site specific variation in the prevalence and intensity of infection with intestinal helminths in Apodemus sylvaticus from three contrasting habitats in south-east England. Journal of Helminthology 74, 7–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Abu-Madi, M.A., Lewis, J.W., Mickail, M., El-Nagger, M.E. & Behnke, J.M. (2001) Monospecific helminth and arthropod infections in an urban population of brown rats from Doha, Qatar. Journal of Helminthology 75, 313–320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Abu-Madi, M.A., Behnke, J.M., Mickail, M., Lewis, J.W. & Al-Kaabi, M.L. (2005) Parasite populations in the brown rat Rattus norvegicus from Doha, Qatar between years: the effect of host age, sex and density. Journal of Helminthology 79, 105–111.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Abu-Madi, M., Al-Ahbabi, A., Al Mashhadani, M., Lewis, J.W., and Paul, P. (2007) Patterns of parasitic infections in faecal samples from stray cat populations in Qatar. Journal of Helminthology 81, 281–286.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, T.C., Foster, G.W. & Forrester, D.J. (2003) Hookworms of feral cats in Florida. Veterinary Parasitology 115, 19–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arafa, M.S., Nasr, N.T., Khalifa, R., Mahdi, A.H., Wafiya, S.M. & Khalil, M.S. (1978) Cats as reservoir hosts of Toxocara and other parasites potentially transmissible to man in Egypt. Acta Parasitologica Polonica 25, 383–391.Google Scholar
Arneberg, P., Skorping, A., Grenfell, B. & Read, A. (1998) Host densities as determinants of abundance in parasite communities. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 265, 1283–1289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
AVMA (2001) Report of the AVMA panel on euthanasia. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 218, 669–696.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baker, M.K., Lange, L., Verster, A. & Van Der Plaat, S. (1989) A survey of helminths in domestic cats in the Pretoria area of Transvaal, Republic of South Africa: I. The prevalence and comparison of burdens of helminths in adult and juvenile cats. Journal of the South African Veterinary Association 60, 139–142.Google ScholarPubMed
Barutzki, D. & Schaper, R. (2003) Endoparasites in dogs and cats in Germany 1999–2002. Parasitology Research 90, S148–S150.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Behnke, J.M., Gilbert, F.S., Abu-Madi, M. & Lewis, J.W. (2005) Do the helminth parasites of wood mice interact? Journal of Animal Ecology 74, 982–993.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowman, D.D., Hendrix, C.M., Lindsay, D.S. & Barr, S.C. (2002) Feline clinical parasitology. 469 pp. Ames, Iowa State University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calvete, C., Lucientes, J., Castillo, J.A., Estrada, R., Garcia, M.J., Peribàňez, M.A. & Ferrer, M. (1998) Gastrointestinal helminth parasites in stray cats from the mid-Ebro Valley, Spain. Veterinary Parasitology 75, 235–240.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cheryl, R. & Dennis, J.R. (2003) Helminth parasites of the house cat, Felis catus, in Connecticut, USA. Comparative Parasitology 70, 115–119.Google Scholar
Christensen, N.O., Olsen, S.J. & Roth, H. (1946) Incidence of lung worms and gastrointestinal parasites in Copenhagen cats. Journal of Parasitology 32, 514–515.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coati, N., Hellmann, K., Mencke, N. & Epe, C. (2003) Recent investigation on the prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes in cats from France and Germany. Parasitology Research 90, S146–S147.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coman, B.J. (1972) A survey of the gastrointestinal parasites of the feral cats in Victoria, Australia. Australian Veterinary Journal 48, 133–136.Google Scholar
Coman, B.J., Jones, E.H. & Driesen, M.A. (1981) Helminth parasites and arthropods of feral cats. Australian Veterinary Journal 57, 324–327.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cowper, S.G. (1978) Helminth parasites of dogs and cats and toxoplasmosis antibodies in cats in Swansea, South Wales. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology 72, 455–459.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dash, K.M., Hall, E. & Barger, I.A. (1988) The role of arithmetic and geometric mean worm egg counts in faecal egg count reduction tests and monitoring strategies drenching programs in sheep. Australian Veterinary Journal 65, 66–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delahay, R.J., Daniels, M.J., McDonald, D.W., McGuire, K. & Balharry, D. (1998) Do patterns of helminth parasitism differ between groups of wild-living cats in Scotland? Journal of Zoology 245, 175–183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dubey, J.P. (1966) Toxocara cati and other intestinal parasites of cats. Veterinary Record 79, 506–507.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dunsmore, J.D., Thompson, R.C. & Bates, L.A. (1984) Prevalence and survival of Toxocara canis eggs in the urban environment of Perth, Australia. Veterinary Parasitology 17, 303–311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliot, J.M. (1977) Some methods for the statistical analysis of samples of benthic invertebrates. Cumbria, UK, Freshwater Biological Association.Google Scholar
El-Shabrawy, M.N. & Imam, E.A. (1978) Studies on cestodes of domestic cats in Egypt with particular reference to species belonging to genera Diplopylidium and Joyeuxiella. Journal of the Egyptian Veterinary Medical Association 38, 19–27.Google Scholar
Engbaek, K., Madsen, H. & Larsen, S.O. (1984) A survey of helminths in stray cats from Copenhagen with ecological aspects. Zeitschrift für Parasitenkunde 70, 87–94.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hasslinger, M.A., Omar, H.M. & Selim, M.K. (1988) The incidence of helminths in stray cats in Egypt and other Mediterranean countries. Veterinary Medical Review 59, 76–81.Google Scholar
Haukisalmi, V. & Henttonen, H. (1998) Analysing interspecific associations in parasites: alternative methods and effects of sampling heterogeneity. Oecologia 116, 565–574.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hill, S.L., Cheney, J.M., Taton-Allen, G.F., Reif, J.S., Bruns, C. & Lappin, M.R. (2000) Prevalence of enteric zoonotic organisms in cats. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 216, 687–692.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holland, C.V. & Cox, D.M. (2001) Toxocara in the mouse: a model for parasite-altered host behaviour. Journal of Helminthology 75, 125–135.Google Scholar
Holmes, J.C. (1961) Effects of concurrent infections on Hymenolepis diminuta (Cestoda) and Moniliformis dubius (Acanthocephala). I. General effects and comparison with crowding. Journal of Parasitology 47, 209–216.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kang, M. & Han, D. (2003) Intestinal parasite infections in stray cats. Journal of Veterinary Clinics-Seoul 20, 413–418.Google Scholar
Khalil, H.M., Khaled, M.I.M., Arafa, M.S. & Sadek, M.S.M. (1976) Incidence of Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati infection among stray dogs and cats in Cairo and Giza Governments, A.R.F. Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association 51, 45–49.Google Scholar
Labarthe, N., Serrão, M.L., Ferreira, A.M.R., Almeida, N.K.O. & Guerrero, J. (2004) A survey of gastrointestinal helminths in cats of the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Veterinary Parasitology 123, 133–139.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lello, J., Boag, B., Fenton, A., Stevenson, I.R. & Hudson, P.J. (2004) Competition and mutualism among the gut helminths of a mammalian host. Nature 428, 840–844.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lewis, E.A. (1927) A study of the helminths of dogs and cats of Aberystwyth, Wales. Journal of Helminthology 5, 171–182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luty, T. (2001) Prevalence of species of Toxocara in dogs, cats and red foxes from the Poznan region, Poland. Journal of Helminthology 75, 153–156.Google ScholarPubMed
Margolis, L., Esch, G.W., Holmes, J.C., Kuris, A.M. & Schad, G.A. (1982) The use of ecological terms in parasitology (report of an ad hoc committee of the American Society of Parasitologists). Journal of Parasitology 68, 131–133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martinez-Barbabosa, I., Tsuji, O.V., Cabello, R.R., Cardenas, E.M.G. & Chasin, O.A. (2003) The prevalence of Toxocara cati in domestic cats in Mexico City. Veterinary Parasitology 114, 43–49.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McColm, A.A. & Hutchison, W.M. (1980) The prevalence of intestinal helminths in stray cats in central Scotland. Journal of Helminthology 54, 255–257.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McGlade, T.R., Robertson, I.D., Elliot, A.D., Read, C. & Thompson, R.C.A. (2003) Gastrointestinal parasites of domestic cats in Perth, Western Australia. Veterinary Parasitology 117, 251–262.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Milstein, T.C. & Goldsmid, J.M. (1997) Parasites of feral cats from southern Tasmania and their potential significance. Australian Veterinary Journal 75, 218–219.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mirzayans, A. (1971) Incidence of gastrointestinal helminths of domestic cats in the Tehran area of Iran. Journal of Parasitology 67, 1296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morsy, T.A., Michael, S.A. & El-Disi, A.M. (1980) Cats as reservoir hosts of human parasites in Amman, Jordan. Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology 10, 5–18.Google Scholar
Morsy, T.A., Sadek, M.S. & Abdel Hamid, M.Y. (1981) Intestinal parasites of stray cats in Cairo, Egypt. Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology 11, 331–345.Google ScholarPubMed
Mtambo, M.M.A., Nash, A.S., Blewett, D.A., Smith, H.V. & Wright, S. (1991) Cryptosporidium infection in cats: prevalence of infection in domestic and feral cats in the Glasgow area. Veterinary Record 129, 502–504.Google ScholarPubMed
Niak, A. (1972) The prevalence of T. cati and other parasites of Liverpool cats. Veterinary Record 91, 534–536.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nichol, S., Ball, S.J. & Snow, K.R. (1981) Prevalence of intestinal parasites in feral cats in some urban areas of England. Veterinary Parasitology 9, 107–110.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
O′Lorcain, P. (1994) Epidemiology of Toxocara spp. in stray dogs and cats in Dublin, Ireland. Journal of Helminthology 68, 331–336.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Overgaauw, P.A.M. (1997) Aspects of Toxocara epidemiology: toxocarosis in dogs and cats. Critical Reviews in Microbiology 23, 233–251.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pal, P. & Lewis, J.W. (2004) Parasite aggregations in host populations using a reformulated negative binomial model. Journal of Helminthology 78, 57–61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parsons, J.C. (1987) Ascarid infections of cats and dogs. Veterinary Clinics of North America, Small Animal Practice 17, 1307–1313.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Patrick, M.J. (1991) Distribution of enteric helminths in Glaucomys volans L. (Sciuridae): a test for competition. Ecology 72, 755–758.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paul, A.J., Todd, K.S. & Diprieto, J.A. (1988) Environmental contamination by eggs of Toxocara species in the city of Philadelphia. Veterinary Parasitology 26, 339–342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poglayen, G., Traldi, G., Capelli, G. & Genchi, C. (1985) Fauna parassitaria gastro-intestinale del gatto nelle citta'di Bologna, Firenze e Milano. Parassitologia 27, 297–302.Google Scholar
Power, L.A. (1970) Helmintos de gatos del medio oeste de los Estados Unidos de Norte America. Review of Medical and Veterinary Parasitology 23, 65–82.Google Scholar
Robertson, I.D., Irwin, P.J., Lymbery, A.J. & Thompson, R.C.A. (2000) The role of companion animals in the emergence of parasitic zoonoses. International Journal for Parasitology 30, 1369–1377.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ruiz de Ybanez, M.R., Garijo, M.M. & Alonso, F.D. (2001) Prevalence and viability of eggs of Toxocara spp. and Toxascaris leonina in public parks in eastern Spain. Journal of Helminthology 75, 169–173.Google ScholarPubMed
Schantz, P.M. (1994) Of worms, dogs and human hosts: continuing challenges for veterinarian in prevention of human disease. Journal of the American Veterinary Medicine Association 204, 1023–1028.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schantz, P.M. (1999) Intestinal parasites of dogs and cats in the United States – it's still a wormy world. pp. 1–12in Bredahuer, M. (Ed.) Pets, people and parasites. Murdoch, Murdoch University.Google Scholar
Sharif, M., Nasrolahei, M., Ziapour, S.P., Gholami, S., Ziaei, H., Daryani, A. & Khalilian, A. (2007) Toxocara cati infections in stray cats in northern Iran. Journal of Helminthology 81, 63–66.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shaw, J., Dunsmore, J. & Jakob, H.R. (1983) Prevalence of some gastrointestinal parasites in cats in the Perth area. Australian Veterinary Journal 60, 151–152.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stoichev, I., Hanchev, J. & Suilenov, D. (1982) Helminths and pathomorphological lesions in cats from villages of Bulgaria with human endemic nephropathy. Zentralblatt für Veterinärmedizin B 29, 292–302.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thienpoint, D., Vanparijs, O. & Herrnans, L. (1981) Epidemiologie des helminthoses du chat en Belgique frequence d′Ollulanus tricuspis. Recueil de Médecine Vétérinaire 157, 591–595.Google Scholar
Thompson, R.C.A., Meloni, B.P., Hopkins, R.M., Deplazes, P. & Reynoldson, J.A. (1993) Observations on the endo- and ectoparasites affecting dogs and cats in Aboriginal communities in the north-west of Western Australia. Australian Veterinary Journal 70, 268–270.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Traub, R.J., Robertson, I.D., Irwin, P.J., Mencke, N. & Thompson, R.C.A. (2005) Canine gastrointestinal parasitic zoonoses in India. Trends in Parasitology 21, 42–48.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Uga, S. (1993) Prevalence of Toxocara eggs and number of faecal deposits from dogs and cats in sandpits of public parks in Japan. Journal of Helminthology 67, 78–82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Uga, S. & Kataoka, N. (1995) Measures to control Toxocara egg contamination in sandpits of public parks. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 52, 21–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Beeck, L., Henry, M.C., Dorny, P. & Van Meirvenne, N. (1985) Prévalence d'infections á Toxoplasma gondii et Toxocara cati chez des chats de la zone urbaine anversoise. Annales de Médecine Vétérinaire 129, 433–440.Google Scholar
Vanparijs, O., Hermans, L. & Van der Flaes, L. (1991) Helminth and protozoan parasites in dogs and cats in Belgium. Veterinary Parasitolology 38, 67–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Visco, R.J., Corwin, R.M. & Selby, L.A. (1978) Effect of age and sex on the prevalence of intestinal parasitism in cats. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 172, 797–800.Google ScholarPubMed
Wilson-Hanson, S.L. & Prescott, C.W. (1982) A survey for parasites in cats. Australian Veterinary Journal 59, 194.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yamaguchi, N., Macdonald, D.W., Passanisi, W.C., Harbour, D.A. & Hopper, C.D. (1996) Parasite prevalence in free-ranging farm cats, Felis silvestris catus. Epidemiology and Infection 116, 217–223.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed