Table 2.
Prevalence of Leishmania infantum infection in cats in the Old World (countries listed in geographical order from East to West)
| Country (area) | No. of cats (type) | Seroprevalence (test) | PCR prevalence (sample) | Combined prevalence of infection | Prevalence of clinical signs in positive cats | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iran (Fars and East Azerbaijan provinces) | 40 (stray) | 27.5 % (IFAT and DAT) | NA | NA | NA | [27] |
| Iran (Fars and East Azerbaijan provinces) | 40 (stray) | NA | 7.5 % (liver and spleen) | 10.0%a | 25.0 % (cutaneous) | [94] |
| Israel (Jerusalem) | 104 (mainly stray) | 6.7 % (ELISA) | NA | NA | 14.3%b (cutaneous) | [30] |
| Egypt (Ismailia governorate) | 80 (stray) | 3.8 % (IHAT) | NA | NA | NA | [106] |
| Egypt (Suez governorate) | 28 (stray) | 3.6 % (IHAT) | NA | NA | NA | [6] |
| Egypt (Giza governorate) | 60 (mixed) | 10.0 % (IHAT) | NA | NA | NA | [4] |
| Greece (Thessaloniki) | 284 (stray) | 3.9 % (ELISA) | NA | NA | 0.0 % | [107] |
| Greece (Thessaloniki) | 389 (stray/feral) | 21.6 % (IFAT) | NA | NA | 19.0 % (compatible) | [108] |
| Greece (Macedonia and Thessaly) | 100 (domestic) | 11.0 % (IFAT and ELISA) | 41.0 % (skin, bone marrow, blood and conjunctiva) | 46.0 %c | 39.1 % (cutaneous, ocular or systemic) | [88, 99] |
| Albania (Tirana surroundings) | 146 (stray) | 0.7 % (IFAT) | 0.0 % (blood) | 0.7 % | 0.0 % | [109] |
| Italy (Sicily) | 93 (mixed) | 59.1 % (IFAT) | NA | NA | 0.0 % (cutaneous) | [35] |
| Italy (Catania and Messina provinces, Sicily) | 89 (mixed) | 68.5 % (IFAT) | 60.7 % (blood) | 85.4 % | NAb | [32] |
| Italy (Liguria and Tuscany) | 110 (domestic) | 0.9 % (IFAT) | NA | NA | 0.0 % | [26] |
| Italy (Abruzzo) | 203 (mixed) | 16.3 % (IFAT) | 45.5 (blood), 100 % (lymph node)d | NA | 66.4 % (heterogeneous) | [110] |
| Italy (Ischia island, Campania) | 95 (mixed) | 9.5 % (IFAT) | 5.3 (blood), 0.0 % (bone marrow) | 13.7 % | 0.0 % | [77] |
| Italy (Calabria and Sicily) | 431 (mixed) | 6.9 % (IFAT) | 7.8 % (blood), 11.7 % (lymph node), 16.7 % (conjunctival swabs) | 13.9 % | NAe | [24] |
| Italy (Greater Milan) | 233 (stray) | 25.3 % (IFAT) | 0.0 % (blood) | 25.3 % | 79.7 % (heterogeneous)b | [111] |
| France (Nice surroundings) | 97 (stray) | 12.4 % (WB) | NA | NA | 0.0 % | [12] |
| Spain (Barcelona and Girona provinces) | 117 (domestic) | 1.7 % (ELISA) | NA | NA | NA | [112] |
| Spain (Aragon) | 50 (domestic) | 42.0 % (DAT) | NA | NA | 100 % (immune dysfunction) | [113] |
| Spain (Catalonia and Mallorca island) | 445 (mixed) | 5.3–6.3 % (ELISA)f | NA | NA | NAb | [22] |
| Spain (south) | 183 (domestic) | 28.3–60.0 % (IFAT)f | 25.7 % (blood) | 70.6 % | NA | [114] |
| Spain (Barcelona) | 100 (domestic) | NA | 3.0 % (blood) | NA | 100 % (ND) | [29] |
| Spain (Madrid community) | 233 (domestic) | 1.3–4.3 % (IFAT)f | 0.4 % (blood) | 1.7–4.7%f | 66.7 % (heterogeneous)b | [78] |
| Spain (Ibiza island) | 105 (stray/shelter) | 13.2 % (ELISA) | 8.7 % (blood) | 15.4 % | 25.0 % (cutaneous)g | [25] |
| Spain (Mallorca island) | 86 (stray/feral) | 15.7 % (WB) | 26.0 % (blood) | 25.6 % | 0.0 % | [95] |
| Spain (Madrid community) | 20 (breeding cats) | 15.0 % (IFAT) | NA | NA | 0.0 % | [115] |
| Spain (Madrid community) | 680 (mixed) | 3.7 % (IFAT) | 0.6 % (blood) | NA | NAe | [33] |
| Spain (Madrid community, Guadalajara and Toledo provinces) | 346 (stray) | 3.2 % (IFAT) | 0.0 % (blood) | 3.2 % | 9.1 % (compatible)b | [34] |
| Portugal (Lisbon region) | 23 (stray) | 20.0 % (IFAT) | 30.4 % (blood) | 34.8 % | 0.0 % (compatible) | [96] |
| Portugal (northeast) | 316 (domestic) | 2.8 % (ELISA and DAT) | NA | NA | 11.1 % (ND)b | [23] |
| Portugal (Lisbon region) | 180 (stray) | 0.6 % (IFAT) | NA | NA | 0.0 % (compatible) | [116] |
| Portugal (Lisbon region) | 142 (domestic) | 1.3 % (IFAT) | 20.3 % (blood) | 20.4 % | NA | [97] |
| Portugal (North and Centre regions) | 320 (domestic) | NA | 0.3 % (blood) | NA | 0.0%b | [117] |
| Portugal (Lisbon and Algarve regions) | 649 (mixed) | NA | 9.9 % (blood) | NA | 27.3 % (compatible)b | [98] |
| Portugal (Algarve) | 271 (mixed) | 3.7 % (DAT) | NA | NA | NA | [118] |
aPCR results in combination with those from liver and spleen touch smears and cultures; bNo statistical association between clinical status and prevalence of infection/exposure; cNegative results of lymph node, bone marrow, skin and conjunctiva cytology; dPCR performed only for 11 seropositive cats; eStatistical association between clinical status and both seroprevalence and combined prevalence; fDifferent prevalences obtained with different ELISA techniques or IFAT cut off; gStatistical association between clinical status and seroprevalence; DAT: direct agglutination test (cut-off titre: 1:100 or 1:800); ELISA: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (different techniques); IFAT: immunofluorescence antibody test (cut-off titre ranging from 1:2 to 1:100); IHAT: indirect haemagglutination test (cut-off titre: 1:32); NA: not assessed/available; ND: clinical signs not described; PCR: polymerase chain reaction; WB: western blot