Table 1.
Studies reporting percentages of positivity to Leishmania tests of cats in Europe between 2001 and 2020.
| Country (Area) | Period of Sampling (Month or Season and Year) | No. of Cats (Lifestyle) |
Positivity % | % of Non-Healthy Positive Cats (Abnormalities) | Variables Associated with Positivity (Test) | References | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Immunological Test) | (Parasitological Test: Sample) | Overall § | ||||||
| Albania (Tirana) | 2008–2010 | 146 (free roaming) | 0.7 (IFAT) | 0.0 (PCR: blood) | 0.7 | NA | NA | [51] |
| Cyprus (all six districts) | March–September 2014 | 174 (feral, outdoors, indoors) | 4.4 (ELISA #) | 2.3 (PCR: blood) | 5.8 # | Ab = 86.0 (NA) PCR = 100 (NA) |
Hepatozoon spp., CMt infections (Ov) | [52] |
| Greece (Thessaloniki) | NA | 284 (stray) | 3.9 (ELISA) | NA | NA | NA | No | [53] |
| Greece (Macedonia and Thessaly) | January 2009–September 2011 | 100 (indoors, outdoors) | 11.0 (IFAT IgG and IgM, ELISA) | 0.0 (cysm: lynd, skin, bm, conj) 41.0 (PCR: skin, bm, blood, cjsw) |
46.0 | Ab = 45.5 (skin, ocular, systemic) PCR = 48.8 (skin, ocular, systemic) |
Season, FeL compatible signs (PCR) | [48,49] |
| Greece (Crete, Mykonos, Skopelos and Athens) | Summer 2015 | 148 (colony, free roaming) | 6.1 (IFAT) | 6.1 (PCR: blood) | 6.1 | NA | NA | [54] |
| Greece (Thessaly) | NA | 150 (stray, NA^) | NA | 13.3 (PCR: blood) | NA | NA | No | [55] |
| Greece and Italy | NA | 269 (indoors, outdoors) | 3.0 (IFAT) | NA | NA | NA | Cohabitation with dogs | [56] |
| Italy (Abruzzo) | September 2002–March 2004 | 203 (stray, indoors, outdoors) | 16.3 (IFAT) | 45.5 (PCR: blood) a 100 (PCR: lynd) a |
NA | 66.4 (heterogeneous) | NA | [50] |
| Italy (Greater Milan) | January 2008–January 2010 | 233 (colony) | 25.3 (IFAT) | 0.0 (PCR: blood) | 25.3 | 79.7 (heterogeneous) | Neutrophilia, FIV positivity (Ab) | [57] |
| Italy (Milan) | June–December 2014 | 90 (stray) | 12.2 (IFAT) | 1.1 (PCR: blood) 1.1 (PCR: lynd) 0.0 (PCR: cjsw) |
12.2 | 100 (lymphadenomegaly, stomatitis, skin) | FCoV positivity | [58] |
| Italy (Milan City, northern Italy) | June 2016–December 2018 | 117 | 4.9 (IFAT) | 4.3 (PCR: lynd) 0 (PCR: blood) 0 (PCR: cjsw) |
8.6 | NA | Hypergammaglobulinemia | [59] |
| Italy (Umbria, Tuscany and Marche) | 2010–2016 | 286 (cattery, colony) | 10.8 (IFAT) | 15.73 (PCR: cjsw) 0.0 (PCR: bc) |
21.7 | 0.0 | Geographical area (Ab, PCR) Age class (Ab) Lifestyle (Ov) |
[60] |
| Italy (Sardinia) | October 2011–January 2013 | 90 (outdoors, indoors) | 10.0 (IFAT) | 5.5 (PCR: bc) | 14.4 | 38.5 (heterogeneous) | No | [61] |
| Italy (Sicily and Calabria) | March 2012–January 2013 | 76 (outdoors, indoors, stray) | 30.3 (IFAT, ELISA, WB) | NA | NA | NA (heterogeneous) | NA | [62] |
| Italy (Sicily and Calabria) | March 2012–January 2013 | 197 cats (outdoors, indoors, stray) | 9.6 (IFAT) | 6.6 (PCR: cjsw, osw, blood, lynd, urine) | 14.7 | NA | No | [63] |
| Italy (Sicily) | March 2016–April 2017 | 66 (indoors, outdoors, stray) | 21.0 (IFAT, ELISA) 17.0 (LSA-IFNγ &) |
4.0 (PCR: blood) | 36.0 | NA | NA | [47] |
| Italy (Aeolian Islands, Sicily) | January 2015–June 2016 | 330 (outdoors) | 25.7 (IFAT) | 2.1 (PCR: blood) 1.8 (PCR: cjsw) |
25.7 | NA (systemic, skin, ocular) | Age class (Ab) | [64] |
| Italy (Aeolian Islands, Sicily) | March–April 2016 | 159 (outdoors) | 9.4 (IFAT) | 7.5 (PCR: blood) 3.7 (PCR: cjsw) |
15.7 | NA | NA | [65] |
| Italy (North, Centre and South) | June 2017–August 2018 | 2659 (NA) | 3.3 (IFAT) | 0.8 (PCR: blood) | 3.9 | NA | Geographical area, age class, neutering status, FIV infection (Ov) | [66] |
| Italy (Emilia Romagna) | June–November 2017 | 152 (indoors, outdoors) | 11.8 (IFAT) | 0.7 (PCR: hair) 0.0 (PCR: blood, cjsw) |
12.5 | NA | Serum total proteins, β2- and γ-globulins (Ov) | [67] |
| Italy (Emilia Romagna, northern Italy) | February 2018–October 2019 | 85 (stray) | 2.4 (IFAT) | 5.9 (PCR: blood) | 2.4 | NA | NA | [68] |
| Portugal (Lisbon) | Spring–autumn 2004 | 23 (stray) | 20.0 (IFAT) | 30.4 (PCR: blood) | NA | NA | NA | [69] |
| Portugal (Lisbon) | November 2003–July 2005 | 180 (stray) | 0.6 (IFAT) | NA | NA | NA | NA | [70] |
| Portugal (Lisbon) | January 2007–August 2008 | 142 (NA^, stray) | 1.3 (IFAT) | 20.3 (PCR: blood) | 20.4 | NA | NA | [71] |
| Portugal (Northeast) | May 2004–July 2008 | 316 (indoors, outdoors) | 2.8 (ELISA, DAT) | NA | NA | 11.1 (NA) | No | [72] |
| Portugal (North and Centre) | NA | 320 (outdoors, indoors) | NA | 0.3 (PCR: blood) | NA | 0.0 | NA | [73] |
| Portugal (Lisbon and Algarve) | January 2012–August 2013 | 649 (indoors, outdoors, sheltered) | NA | 9.9 (PCR: blood) | NA | NA | Age class, habitat, ectoparasiticide treatment | [74] |
| Portugal (Algarve) | November 2011–May 2014 | 271 (stray, NA^) | 3.7 (DAT) | NA | NA | NA | No | [75] |
| Portugal (Centre, Lisbon and Algarve) | April–December 2017 | 350 (stray, colony, outdoors) | 0.9 (IFAT) | 6.9 (PCR: blood) | 7.4 | 26.9 (NA) | No | [76] |
| Portugal (Centre, Lisbon and Algarve) | February 2017–August 2018 | 465 (stray, colony, NA^) | NA | 5.4 (PCR: bc) * | NA | NA | NA | [44] |
| Spain (South) | February 2003–December 2004 | 180 (NA^) | 28.3 (IFAT) | 25.7 (PCR: blood) 42.9 (cysm: bc of seven PCR positive cats |
48.3 | NA | FeLV (Ab) | [77] |
| Spain (NA) | 2004–2007 | 2632 (NA) | NA | 0.57 (IHC) | NA | NA | NA | [78] |
| Spain (Madrid) | September 2005–June 2006 | 233 (indoors, outdoors) | 1.3 (IFAT) | 0.4 (PCR: blood) | 1.7 | 75 (heterogeneous) | No | [79] |
| Spain (Madrid) | September 2005–August 2008 | 680 (indoors, outdoors, stray) | 3.7 (IFAT) | 0.6 (PCR: blood) | NA | NA | Age class (Ab), FIV (Ab), oral disease (Ab) | [80] |
| Spain (Madrid) | NA | 17 (breeding) | 17.6 (IFAT) | NA | NA | NA | NA | [81] |
| Spain (Madrid) | 2011–2012 | 55 | NA | 3.7 (PCR: spleen) | NA | NA | NA | [82] |
| Spain (Madrid) | NA | 43 (stray) | 9.3 (IFAT) | NA | NA | NA | NA | [83] |
| Spain (Centre) | Spring 2012 and spring 2013 | 346 (stray) | 3.2 (IFAT) | 0.0 (PCR: 57 blood samples) | NA | 9.1 (compatible with FeL) | No | [84] |
| Spain (Centre) | 2014–2017 | 249 (colony) | 4.8 (IFAT) | 0.0 (PCR: blood, skin) | 4.8 | 16.7 (compatible with FeL) | NA | [85] |
| Spain (Catalonia and Mallorca island) | NA | 445 (mixed) | 5.3–6.3 (ELISA) | NA | NA | NA | No | [86] |
| Spain (Barcelona) | January–Deccember 2006 | 100 (NA) | NA | 3.0 (PCR: blood) | NA | 100 (NA) | Age class (PCR) | [87] |
| Spain (Catalonia) | March 2016–April 2017 | 113 (indoors, outdoors, stray) | 22.0 (IFAT, ELISA) 18.0 (LSA-IFNγ &) |
5.0 (PCR: blood) | NA | 34 (heterogeneous) | NA | [47] |
| Spain (Ibiza island) | June–July 2008 | 105 (shelter outdoors) | 13.2 (ELISA) | 8.7 (PCR: blood) | 15.2 | 75.0 (heterogeneous) | Clinical signs (Ov) FeLV (Ab, PCR) FeLV, FIV (Ab, PCR) |
[88] |
| Spain (Mallorca island) | June 2008–February 2009 | 86 (feral) | 15.7 (WB) | 26.0 (PCR: blood) | 25.6 | 0.0 | No | [45] |
a PCR tests performed only in 11 antibody positive cats at a different time; § Immunological and/or parasitological positivity; * L. donovani complex (24 cats), L. major (2 cats). & Interferon-γ ex vivo produced by blood cells stimulated with Leishmania soluble antigen; # ELISA test and overall prevalence from 160 cats. Ab: antibody detection; bc: buffy coat; bm: bone marrow; CMt: Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis; cjsw: conjunctival swab; conj: conjunctiva; cysm: cytological smear; DAT: direct agglutination test (cut-off dilution: 1:100); ELISA: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (different techniques); FCoV: feline coronavirus; FeL: feline leishmaniosis; FeLV: feline leukaemia virus; FIV: feline immunodeficiency virus; Ig: immunoglobulin; IFAT: immunofluorescence antibody test (cut-off dilution ranging from 1:2 to 1:100); IHC: immunohistochemistry; lynd: lymph node; NA: not assessed/available; NA^: lifestyle not assessed in owned cats admitted to veterinary clinics; Ov: antibody and DNA detection; osw: ocular swabs; PCR: polymerase chain reaction; WB: Western blot.