Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33632312›Full record

ArticleParasites & vectors2021

Retrospective evaluation of vector-borne pathogens in cats living in Germany (2012-2020).

Ingo Schäfer, Barbara Kohn, Maria Volkmann, Elisabeth Müller

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Parasites & vectors, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed
3.4field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pathogens Associated with Domestic Cats (Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Vector-Borne Pathogens in Stray Cats in Eastern Germany (Thuringia).Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Molecular detection ofJournal of feline medicine and surgery · 2022
    Article
  7. Review
  8. Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021
    Review
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Feline Leishmaniasis Caused byFrontiers in veterinary science · 2021
    Article
  12. Current research in parasitology & vector-borne diseases · 2021
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Ingo SchäferLABOKLIN GmbH and Co. KG, Bad Kissingen, Germany. ingo.schaefer@fu-berlin.de.
Barbara KohnClinic for Small Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Maria VolkmannInstitute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Elisabeth MüllerLABOKLIN GmbH and Co. KG, Bad Kissingen, Germany.
Freie Universität Berlin · DELaboklin (Germany) · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBlood-feeding arthropods can transmit parasitic, bacterial, or viral pathogens to domestic animals and wildlife. Vector-borne infections are gaining significance because of increasing travel and import of pets from abroad as well as the changing climate in Europe. The main objective of this study was to assess the percentage of cats with positive test results for selected vector-borne pathogens in Germany and explore any possible association of such results with time spent abroad.

methodsThis retrospective study included test results from cats included in the "Feline Travel Profile" established by the LABOKLIN laboratory at the request of veterinarians in Germany between April 2012 and March 2020. This diagnostic panel includes the direct detection of Hepatozoon spp. and Dirofilaria spp. via PCR as well as indirect detection assays (IFAT) for Ehrlichia spp. and Leishmania spp. The panel was expanded to include an IFAT for Rickettsia spp. from July 2015 onwards.

resultsA total of 624 cats were tested using the "Feline Travel Profile." Serum for indirect detection assays was available for all 624 cats; EDTA samples for direct detection methods were available from 618 cats. Positive test results were as follows: Ehrlichia spp. IFAT 73 out of 624 (12%), Leishmania spp. IFAT 22 out of 624 (4%), Hepatozoon spp. PCR 53 out of 618 (9%), Dirofilaria spp. PCR 1 out of 618 cats (0.2%), and Rickettsia spp. IFAT 52 out of 467 cats (11%) tested from July 2015 onwards. Three cats had positive test results for more than one pathogen before 2015. After testing for Rickettsia spp. was included in 2015, 19 cats had positive test results for more than one pathogen (Rickettsia spp. were involved in 14 out of these 19 cats).

conclusionsAt least one pathogen could be detected in 175 out of 624 cats (28%) via indirect and/or direct detection methods. Four percent had positive test results for more than one pathogen. These data emphasize the importance of considering the above-mentioned vector-borne infections as potential differential diagnoses in clinically symptomatic cats.

Indexed as

AnimalsArthropodsBacteriaBacterial InfectionsCat DiseasesCatsDisease VectorsFemaleGermanyLeishmaniaMaleParasitesParasitic Diseases, AnimalRetrospective StudiesArthropod-transmitted infectionsFelineLaboratory diagnostics

Identifiers

PMID33632312
PMCPMC7905428
OpenAlexW3129529757

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.