Detection of hemoplasms in cats in the state of São Paulo

• Grant number: 24/11031-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Trícia Maria Ferreira de Sousa Oliveira
• Grantee: Karen Gomes Brasil
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Hemoplasmas are bacteria that can attach themselves to red blood cells and cause hemolysis. Initially classified as rickettsial organisms, they were reclassified within the genus Mycoplasma. Domestic cats can be affected by different species of hemoplasmas, such as Mycoplasma haemofelis, Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum and Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis, with M. haemofelis being the most pathogenic. Infection with M. haemofelis can cause severe hemolytic anemia, with considerable morbidity and mortality in small animals. Some risk factors for this disease are having free access to the street, living in homes with several cats, such as shelters, and already being weakened by some other disease. Furthermore, the gold standard for diagnosing this pathogen is the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), which is a very sensitive and specific test compared to other diagnostic methods. Therefore, the objective of this project is to detect the Mycoplasma spp. DNA in samples from cats of the state of São Paulo, by PCR for the 16S rRNA region of Mycoplasma spp., following Sanger sequencing to species identification.