Table 2.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of cats infected with Borrelia persica included in the study
| Cat number (sample ID) | 1 (6812) | 2 (42798) | 3 (9727) | 4 (213813) | 5 (8738) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Kfar Adumim | Jerusalem | Arad | Matzuba | Kfar Oranim |
| Year of diagnosis | 2003 | 2003 | 2010 | 2012 | 2015 |
| Outdoor access | + | + | + | + | +; stray |
| Sex; age in years | F; 2 | M; 1 | Male; ND | F; 7.5 | F; 1 |
| Fever | – | – | – | - | 39.8 °C |
| Lethargy | + | + | + | + | ND |
| Anorexia | + | + | + | + | ND |
| Pale mucous membranes | – | – | + | + | + |
| Icterus | – | – | + | + | - |
| Anemia | + | + | + | + | + |
| Hematocrit L/L | 0.208 | 0.116 | 0.113 | 0.109 | 0.270 |
| MCV fL | 40.5 | 42.1 | 31.2 | 39.3 | ND |
| MCHC g/L | 336 | 288 | 389 | 390 | ND |
| Leukocytosis; WBC number × 109/L | –; 11.6 | –; 5.86 | +; 33.88 | +; 21.33 | -; Est WNL |
| Thrombocytopenia; PLT number × 109/L | +; 35 | +; 119 | –; 227 | +; 71 | +; Est low |
| Co-infection: PCR for hemotrophic Mycoplasma spp. Serology FeLV; FIV | – | – | – | - | - |
| (–; –) | (–; –) | ND | (-; +) | (-; -) | |
| Antibiotic treatment | amoxicillin/clavulanic acid | amoxicillin/clavulanic acid | long acting tetracycline and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid | doxycycline | doxycycline |
| Survival and response to treatment | survived; spirochetemia not evident one day after treatment initiation | died one day after treatment initiation | survived | survived; clinical improvement reported 12 h after initial doxycycline; clinical recovery in 4 days | survived; recovered clinically and no spirocehtemia evident on follow-up 21 days after treatment initiation |
ND not determined, Est estimated from blood smear, WNL within normal limits; Hematocrit, reference range 0.277–0.468 L/L; MCV mean cell volume, range 41–53 fL; MCHC mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, range 270–330 g/L; WBC white blood cells, range 6.3–19.6 × 109/l; PLT: platelets, range 156–626 × 109/l