Cats are infected with a variety of internal parasites, some of which are zoonotic. Therefore, being able to effectively detect and determine prevalence of internal parasites in cats is important for both feline and human health. Some parasites are easier to detect than others. Diagnosing Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. can be difficult because cysts and oocysts shed in the feces are small, shed intermittently, and require a trained technician to consistently identify them. As a result, infections with these protozoan parasites can be missed. Fecal immunoassays detect antigens in feces and can have increased sensitivity when compared to traditional microscopic techniques, but still do not detect every infection. The current reference standard is an immunoassay known as the direct immunofluorescent assay, but it requires expensive equipment and a long incubation period. As a result, two prototype lateral flow fecal immunoassays, the Cryptosporidium EZ VUE and Giardia EZ VUE, designed by TECHLAB® Inc were evaluated for the ability to detect G. duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. infections in cats because they are cheap, easy to use, easy to store and easy to interpret. In addition, samples were examined using a 33% zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) centrifugal fecal flotation procedure and the MERIFLUOR® Cryptosporidium/Giardia direct immunofluorescent assay (IFA), which served as the reference test. Other internal parasites found on the centrifugal fecal flotation with zinc sulfate were recorded to determine prevalence. Both EZ VUE fecal immunoassays demonstrated potential in diagnosing infections in cats when compared to centrifugal fecal flotation and the reference. Additionally, a variety of other internal parasites were identified. This included several potentially zoonotic species including Spirometra mansonoides, Ancylostoma sp. and Toxocara cati, which was also the most commonly identified species of parasite. Additionally, it was determined that several factors may contribute to higher prevalence of parasites especially in cats with the status of stray or feral. / M. S. / Internal parasites affect both human and animals. Some parasites do not cause any clinical signs or have a lasting effect, while others can cause damage or contribute to the death of an organism. Certain parasites are zoonotic, meaning they can be transmitted between humans and animals. Several of these zoonotic parasites are found in companion animals, such as cats. This is especially important because cats are a common household pet. How owned animals are treated, especially pets like dogs and cats, has changed over the past few decades. In many of these households they are considered family members. Additionally, there is a large population of free roaming cats, both stray and feral, that have the potential to interact with humans or their pets. Therefore, it is important to be able to effectively diagnose and determine the prevalence of parasites for both feline and human health. Some parasites are harder to diagnose than others due to varying factors and more diagnostic tests are needed to effectively and efficiently detect them. Two of these parasites that can be challenging to detect are Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. This thesis was aimed at evaluating two prototype diagnostic tests, originally designed for use in humans, for ability to detect these parasites and their potential as diagnostic tests in cats. In addition, this thesis determined the prevalence of other internal parasites found in a large group of cats in Virginia. The obtained results indicated the prototype diagnostic tests had potential. A variety of internal parasites were also present in Virginia cats, some of which were zoonotic, and showed how important routine veterinary care for maintaining feline and human health
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/97250 |
| Date | 13 September 2017 |
| Creators | Monti, Katelynn A. |
| Contributors | Veterinary Medicine, Zajac, Anne M., Lindsay, David S., Herbein, Joel Francis |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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