Med. Weter. 82 (10), 476-480, 2026
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| ŁUKASZ ADASZEK, MARIA PISAREK, MARCIN KALINOWSKI, MAREK SZEWCZYK, OLIWIER TEODOROWSKI, MARCIN ISZKUŁO , WERONIKA KRZEMIEŃ, STANISŁAW WINIARCZYK |
| Prevalence of selected infectious agents in Polish cats with anaemia |
| The aim of the study was to determine the infectious agents causing anaemia in cats from central and eastern Poland. The study included 358 cats divided into two groups. Group 1 comprised 318 cats with fever and anaemia, and group 2 included 40 control cats without clinical signs of infectious disease. Blood was collected from all animals for molecular testing to analyze selected infectious diseases (FeLV, FIV, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, haemotropic mycoplasmosis, bartonellosis) and for serological testing for FeLV antigen and FIV antibodies. Using rapid tests, only the p27 antigen of FeLV was detected in the serum of 144 individuals in group 1. Solely antibodies to FIV were detected in the serum of 32 individuals from this group. In 10 cases, the presence of both the p27 FeLV antigen and FIV antibodies were detected in the serum of cats from group 1. Rapid tests did not detect FeLV antigens or FIV antibodies in the blood of the remaining 132 cats in group 1 and all 40 healthy cats in group 2. Molecular analysis of the same blood samples using quantitative PCR system revealed the presence of only the genetic material of the FeLV in 168 cats, only the FIV in 9 cats, and the simultaneous presence of FeLV and FIV RNA in 3 cats in group 1 and in none in group 2. Among other pathogens tested, Mycoplasma spp DNA was detected in the blood of three cats in group 1. No Babesia spp., Anaplasma spp., or Bartonella spp. genetic material was detected in any of the animals tested. The obtained results indicate that infectious agents may be responsible for the development of anaemia in a significant number of cats in this population originating from central and eastern Poland, and should be considered in the differential diagnosis as a possible cause of this disorder. To properly treat animals with these types of diseases, appropriate, sensitive diagnostics are necessary, which should be based on state-of-the-art molecular testing like qPCR which is the reference method, providing final confirmation. |
| Keywords: cats, infectious agents, anaemia, PCR, serology |