Epidemiology of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome in Dogs and Cats in Taiwan
Journal
Viruses
Journal Volume
15
Journal Issue
12
Date Issued
2023-12-01
Author(s)
Kuan, Chih Ying
Ou, Shan Chia
Chang, Chao Chin
Kao, Pei Ling
Tsai, Ruei Sheng
Rattanapanadda, Porjai
Lin, Tsai Lu
Maeda, Ken
Cheng, Tsun Li
Chuang, Shih Te
Lin, Shiun Long
Liu, Hsien Yueh
Lin, Fong Yuan
Lin, Jen Wei
Hsu, Wei-Li
Chou, Chi Chung
Abstract
Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS), caused by the SFTS Virus (SFTSV), is a global health threat. SFTSV in Taiwan has only been reported in ruminants and wild animals. Thus, we aimed to investigate the infection statuses of dogs and cats, the animals with closer human interactions. Overall, the SFTSV RNA prevalence was 23% (170/735), with dogs showing a 25.9% (111/429) prevalence and cats at 19.3% (59/306) prevalence. Noticeably, the prevalence in stray animals (39.8% 77/193) was significantly higher than in domesticated ones (17.2%, 93/542). Among the four categories analyzed, the highest SFTSV prevalence was found in the stray dogs at 53.9% (120/193), significantly higher than the 24.2% prevalence noted in stray cats. In contrast, domesticated animals exhibited similar prevalence rates, with 17.1% for dogs and 17.2% for cats. It is noteworthy that in the domesticated animal groups, a significantly elevated prevalence (45%, 9/20) was observed among cats exhibiting thrombocytopenia compared to those platelet counts in the reference range (4.8%, 1/21). The high infection rate in stray animals, especially stray dogs, indicated that exposure to various outdoor environments influences the prevalence of infections. Given the higher human interaction with dogs and cats, there is a need for proactive measures to reduce the risk associated with the infection of SFTSV in both animals and humans.
Subjects
cat | dog | emerging tick-borne disease | RNA prevalence | Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS)
Type
journal article