Borrelia miyamotoi, Other Vector-Borne Agents in Cat Blood and Ticks in Eastern Maryland

Ecohealth. 2017 Dec;14(4):816-820. doi: 10.1007/s10393-017-1268-3. Epub 2017 Sep 6.

Abstract

We collected blood and tick samples in eastern Maryland to quantify vector-borne pathogen exposure and infection in healthy cats and to assess occupational disease risk to veterinary professionals and others who regularly interact with household pets. Thirty-six percent of healthy cats parasitized by ticks at time of examination (9/25) were exposed to, and 14% of bloods (7/49) tested PCR-positive for, at least one vector-borne pathogen including several bloods and ticks with Borrelia miyamotoi, a recently recognized tick-borne zoonotic bacterium. There was no indication that high tick burdens were associated with exposure to vector-borne pathogens. Our results underscore the potential importance of cats to human vector-borne disease risk.

Keywords: Borrelia; Occupational risk; Tick-borne disease; Veterinary medicine; Zoonosis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Borrelia / isolation & purification*
  • Cat Diseases / microbiology*
  • Cats / microbiology*
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • Ixodes / microbiology*
  • Maryland / epidemiology
  • Pets / microbiology*
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Tick-Borne Diseases / microbiology

Substances

  • DNA, Bacterial