ArticleParasites & vectors2022
A community approach for pathogens and their arthropod vectors (ticks and fleas) in cats of sub-Saharan Africa.
Article in Parasites & vectors, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- A case of mistaken identity: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and reinvestigation of hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. infection in Ctenocephalides felis (cat flea).Parasites & vectors · 2024Pooled it
- Prevalence, diagnostic evaluation, and disease associations of vector-borne pathogens in domestic dogs across Namibia: a multi-modal approach.Parasites & vectors · 2025Article
- Vector-borne pathogens in cats and associated fleas in southern Ethiopia.Parasites & vectors · 2025Article
- Molecular detection and characterization ofInfection ecology & epidemiology · 2025Article
- Control of companion animal parasites and impact on One Health.One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2024Review
- Tick-Borne Diseases of Humans and Animals in West Africa.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Perception of Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases Worldwide.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Effective Methods of Estimation of Pathogen Prevalence in Pooled Ticks.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 10 institutions in 11 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundArthropod-borne pathogens and their vectors are present throughout Africa. They have been well studied in livestock of sub-Saharan Africa, but poorly studied in companion animals. Given their socioeconomic importance, the African Small Companion Animal Network (AFSCAN), as part of the WSAVA Foundation, initiated a standardized multi-country surveillance study.
methodsIn six countries (Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Namibia) in both rural and urban settings, 160 infested cats were sampled to assess their ectoparasite community (ticks and fleas), as well as the micro-parasite prevalence within those ectoparasites (60 and 118 pools of ticks and fleas, respectively) and blood (276 cats, including 116 non-infested).
resultsAlmost two thirds of all infested cats originated from Tanzania and Kenya. Despite the large macro-geographical variation, no consistent difference was found in ectoparasite diversity and numbers between East and West Africa. Far more flea-infested than tick-infested cats were found. The most dominant ectoparasite was Ctenocephalides felis. Among the ticks, the exophilic Haemaphysalis spp. were the commonest, including species that are not typically linked with companion animals (Haemaphysalis spinulosa and Haemaphysalis elliptica). The most prevalent pathogens found in the blood and fleas were Bartonella henselae and Mycoplasma haemofelis. In the ticks, the dog-associated Hepatozoon canis was most commonly found. A high degree of co-parasitism was found in all countries and habitats.
conclusionsOur continent-wide standardized field study highlights the cat's potential to serve as a reservoir of pathogens that can be transmitted to humans or livestock, especially when cats are expected to become more commonly kept in African villages and towns.
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