Prevalence of Zoonotic Pathogens in Domestic and Feral Cats in Shanghai, with Special Reference to Salmonella

Abstract

Interacting with domestic or feral cats comes with both pleasure and harm. This research has attempted to study the role of cats in Shanghai, China, being vectors of disease and the risk they pose to public health. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), gel electrophoresis, molecular cloning, and DNA sequencing were methods used to compare the prevalence of zoonotic bacteria and parasites in domestic and feral cats. Phylogenetic trees were created for further analysis. From this study involving 30 cats and 12 zoonotic pathogens, four pathogens were identified in our stool samples using PCR: Escherichia coli, Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., and Toxocara cati. In total, 60% of the kittens had enteric zoonoses in their stools while 30% of the adult cats’ stools contained enteric zoonoses. Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica, which is the leading cause of Salmonellosis in developed countries, was present in two samples inferred from sequencing and phylogenetic tree analysis.