Prevalence of Infection and Coinfections

Most information regarding feline L. infantum infection has come from investigations performed in the Mediterranean Basin and the Middle East.

The prevalence of L. infantum infection in cats, as evaluated in studies performed in many countries of the Mediterranean Basin and the Middle East (Albania, Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Qatar, Spain, Turkey) from the 1980’s is variable. Both antibody and blood molecular prevalences have been investigated with diverse serological and PCR techniques in populations of cats with different characteristics and in countries with different socio-economical situations, and this can contribute to the wide range of positivity observed (seropositivity: 0-75.0%; blood PCR positivity: 0-60.7%). However, prevalence of Leishmania infection in cats is commonly lower than the prevalence in dogs in the same area.

Some studies have found that coinfections with other pathogens are detected in Leishmania-infected cats. However, this finding can be accidental and mostly due to a high prevalence of the co-infecting microorganisms in cats (e.g.: Bartonella, Toxoplasma). Conversely, there is evidence that feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) seropositive cats have a higher risk of being affected by L. infantum infection.