Prevalence Of Bartonella Spp. And Rickettsia Spp. In Ctenophalides Felis Infesting Stray Cats In Rural Areas Of Kota Bharu, Kelantan

An abstract of the research paper presented to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, in partial requirement of the course DVT 55204 – Research Project. One of the most popular pets owned by people are cats, which are also frequently found as stray animals that live without human care and must scavenge for food and shelter. Ctenocephalides felis, the cat flea that transmits zoonotic illnesses including Cat Scratch Disease by Bartonella henselae and Flea-borne Spotted Fever by Rickettsia felis (Lisa D. Brown a et al., 2022), mostly feeds on felines. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of Bartonella and Rickettsia spp. in stray cats. Three locations of rural areas of Kota Bharu were chosen as sampling areas, including: Ketereh, Pulau Pisang, and Pantai Mek Mas. Total of six fleas were collected per cat which then proceeded in Bartonella and Rickettsia spp. detection by doing DNA extraction and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and gel electrophoresis. Samples that showed positive (clear and faint bands) were then chosen to be sent for gene sequencing to determine the exact DNA molecules of the samples. Samples number were 30 and results showed 100% prevalence for Bartonella spp., and 16.67% both for Rickettsia spp. and combination infections. Results of gene sequencing identified the presence of Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae for positive PCR samples of Bartonella spp., meanwhile Rickettsia felis was identified for positive PCR sample of Rickettsia spp. This statistical study showed an important relationship between flea infestations and the age of the cat. Also, there were a lot more fleas on the head, neck, and ears than anywhere else on the animal that was studied. This was valid for the dorsal, ventral, forelimbs,hindlimbs, and tail. These results are useful for improving methods for getting rid of fleas on stray cats and lowering the chance that zoonotic diseases will spread to people.
Keywords: Ketereh, Pulau Pisang, Pantai Mek Mas, Ctenophalides felis, Bartonella henselae, Bartonella clarridgeiae, Rickettsia felis, Cat Scratch Disease, Flea-borne Spotted Fever, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Stray cats