Cats as possible carriers and transmitters of Leptospira spp.: a systematic review and meta-analysis
2025
Bruna Carolina Ulsenheimer | Luciana Pötter | Ana Eucares von Laer | Alexandre Alberto Tonin | Luís Antônio Sangioni | Daniela Isabel Brayer Pereira | Sônia de Avila Botton
ABSTRACT: Leptospira spp. is the etiological agent of leptospirosis, a worldwide zoonosis impacting the economy and public and animal health. It is present in rural and urban environments and transmitted by direct or indirect contact, especially by the urine of infected animals. Domestic and wild animals can harbor Leptospira spp. and be a source of infection for other susceptible hosts. Domestic mammals commonly affected by the disease include dogs, cattle, horses, and pigs; although, the role of domestic cats in the epidemiology of leptospirosis is still not fully understood. Therefore, this study investigated the possible role of cats with different life habits (domestic, stray and feral) as carriers and/or transmitters of Leptospira spp. This systematic review and meta-analysis covered studies published between 2002 and 2021 in different databases following the PRISMA protocol. We found 200 articles and, after excluding duplicates, 183 were selected based on title and abstract. Exclusion criteria were applied to these articles and 18 were read in full and eight were eligible and included in this meta-analysis. The results demonstrated the occurrence of Leptospira spp., L.interrogans, L. borgptersenii, and L. biflexa in cats, with a higher frequency of molecular detection in renal tissue samples. It was verified respectively that stray, feral and domestic cats can act as reservoirs and/or transmitters of Leptospira spp. to other host species, as well as contaminating the environment, water and food sources. In addition, this study brings relevant contributions from Veterinary Medicine to One Health.
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