Table 1.
Prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in 102 cats from Luanda, Angola, as determined by PCR and DNA sequencing
| Variable/Category | No. of cats tested (%) | Percentage (n) of infected cats | 95% CI (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | 101 | ||
| Female | 56 (55.4) | 5.4 (3) | 1.1–14.9 |
| Male | 45 (44.6) | 6.7 (3) | 1.4–18.3 |
| Breed | 96 | ||
| Mixed | 92 (95.8) | 6.5 (6) | 2.4–13.7 |
| Defineda | 4 (4.2) | 0.0 (0) | 0.0–60.2 |
| Age group | 100 | ||
| Juvenileb | 50 (50.0) | 6.0 (3) | 1.3–16.5 |
| Adultc | 50 (50.0) | 6.0 (3) | 1.3–16.5 |
| Hair length | 102 | ||
| Short | 85 (83.3) | 7.1 (6) | 2.6–14.7 |
| Medium or long | 17 (16.7) | 0.0 (0) | 0.0–19.5 |
| Housing | 102 | ||
| Indoors | 37 (36.3) | 0.0 (0) | 0.0–9.5 |
| Outdoors or mixed | 65 (63.7) | 9.2 (6) | 3.5–19.0 |
| Contact with other animals | 97 | ||
| No | 20 (20.6) | 0.0 (0) | 0.0–16.8 |
| Yesd | 77 (79.4) | 7.8 (6) | 2.9–16.2 |
| Travele | 102 | ||
| No | 60 (58.8) | 3.3 (2) | 0.4–11.5 |
| Yes | 42 (41.2) | 9.5 (4) | 2.7–22.6 |
| Ectoparasiticides | 91 | ||
| No | 84 (92.3) | 6.0 (5) | 2.0–13.3 |
| Yesf | 7 (7.7) | 14.3 (1) | 0.4–57.9 |
| Fleas | 102 | ||
| No | 89 (87.3) | 5.6 (5) | 1.9–12.6 |
| Yesg | 13 (12.7) | 7.7 (1) | 0.2–36.0 |
| Clinical status | 102 | ||
| Apparently healthy | 89 (87.3) | 6.7 (6) | 2.5–14.1 |
| Sickh | 13 (12.7) | 0.0 (0) | 0.0–24.7 |
| Total | 102 (100) | 5.9 (6)i | 2.2–12.4 |
Abbreviations: 95% CI 95% confidence interval
aComprising 2 Persian and 2 Siamese cats
b2.5–11.5 months
c12–143 months
dIncluding cats, dogs, rodents and/or birds
eOutside the province of Luanda
fFipronil
gNot identified
hClinical manifestations and laboratory abnormalities: anemia, anorexia/hyporexia, cough, cutaneous lesions, diarrhea, fever, leukocytosis, leukopenia, neurological disorders, ocular signs, thrombocytopenia, weight loss, vomiting
iAnaplasma bovis (n = 1), Ehrlichia canis (n = 3) and Hepatozoon canis (n = 3), including 1 cat co-infected with both E. canis and H. felis