Hepatozoon felis

Hepatozoon felis

<p align="CENTER"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Hepatozoon felis</b></i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> Patton, 1908</b></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="CENTER"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>)</b></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>ETYMOLOGY:</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hepato</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> (liver) + </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>zoon</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> (animal) and </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>felis</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> for cat.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>SYNONYMS:</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Haemogregarin felis-domesticae</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Patton, 1908; </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hepatozoon felisdomesticae</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> (Patton, 1908) Wenyon, 1926; </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Leucocytozoon felis-domestici</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> (Patton, 1908) Patton, 1908. Some consider this a synonym of </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hepatozoon canis</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> (James, 1905) Wenyon, 1926.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>HISTORY:</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> This parasite was first described in the blood of domestic cats in India in 1908 by Patton. Since that time, there have been few other reports of </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hepatozoon</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> in cats. Schizonts were first reported in capillaries of cats in 1973 (Klopfer et al., 1973).</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION:</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Patton (1908) observed </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hepatozoon felis</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> in cats in India. In Nigeria, </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hepatozoon</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> was reported from the blood of a cat that was part of a survey between 1966-1976 (Leeflang and Ilemobade, 1977). In Israel, stages of </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hepatozoon</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> have been observed at necropsy in the hearts of 30% of 50 cats that had been submitted for rabies examination (Klopfer et al., 1973) and in 42% of stray cats that were used for laboratory demonstrations (Nobel et al, 1974). </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hepatozoon</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> was seen in the liver of a cat that had originated from Hawaii (Ewing, 1977). The only other report has been from South Africa (van Amstel, 1979).</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>LOCATION IN HOST:</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> The circulating gamonts have been found in polymorphonuclear lymphocytes. In the cat, the only site in which schizont stages have been observed are in capillaries of the myocardium; however, it would be expected that other tissues would also be involved.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>PARASITE IDENTIFICATION:</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> In the circulating neutrophils, the gamonts are elongate bodies with rounded ends, about 5 µm by 10 m in size. There is a central compact nucleus that stains a dark red with Giemsa stain. The cytoplasm stains a light blue.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Within histological sections of the myocardium, the schizonts that have been described are of two types (Klopfer et al., 1973). In one type, the schizont appeared to be filled with individual merozoites. In the other type, the schizonts appeared to contain developing merozoites located around the periphery.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>LIFE CYCLE:</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> The life cycle of </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hepatozoon felis</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> has been considered to be the same as that of </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hepatozoon canis</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> which some actually consider the same parasite. Dogs can be infected by being fed a Brown Dog Tick, </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Rhipicephalus sanguineous</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">, that has previously been given a blood meal on a dog with circulating gametocytes (Nordgren and Craig, 1984). In the dog, two types of schizonts are formed that have been termed microschizonts and macroschizonts. There has been no work on the vectors that may be involved in the transmission of this parasite between cats, and there has been very little examination of the development of different stages found within the cat.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>CLINICAL PRESENTATION AND PATHOGENESIS:</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Clinical disease is rare with schizonts being found in tissues of domestic cats at necropsy more frequently that clinical disease occurs. Progressive weight loss, ulcerative glossitis with hypersalivation, intermittent anorexia and pyrexia, progressive non-responsive anemia, and serous nasalocular discharge have been reported in one cat. Lymphadenopathy and icterus have also been reported. A progressive monocyte count with an increasing number of circulating monoblasts in peripheral blood resulting in a misdiagnosis of monocytic leukemia was made in one cat. The necrospy revealed the presence of Hepatozoon felis in the liver. A careful search of blood smears, bone marrow, and sections of other tissues failed to reveal any other organisms. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>TREATMENT:</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> there is a lack of effective treatment. Treatments tried in dogs have included oxtetracycline, chloramphenicol, sulfadimethoxine, diminazene aceturate, an dimidocarb diprpionate. The cat in South Africa treated by Van Amstel (1979) responded to treatment with oxytetracycline (50 mg/kg, BID, for 7 days) along with a single treatment of primaquine (2 mg per os two days after the initiation of oxytetracylcine treatment. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>EPIZOOTIOLOGY:</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> It is possible that the species in the cat actually represents infections with other species of </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hepatozoon</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">, such as Hepatozoon canis of the dog, </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hepatozoon procyonis</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> which is common in raccoons (</span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Procyon lotor</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">) in the southern United States and in Central America, and </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hepatozoon</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> spp. of the bocat </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>(Lynx rufus</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">) which is also comon in the sourthern United States.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>HAZARD TO OTHER ANIMALS:</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Probably none, unless the cat also introduces the tick vector into the establishment. It might then be possible for the pathogen to be transmitted between animals in a boarding facility.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>HAZARD TO HUMANS:</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> None known.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>CONTROL/PREVENTION:</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Infection requires that the cat ingest and infected tick; therefore, it is important that the infestation of the cat with the tick be prevented. Unfortunately, the Brown Dog Tick,</span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> Rhipicephalaus sanguineus</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">, will quite readily establish itself within a household. Thus, it may be necesaary to hire exterminators to remove the tick if it has been introduced.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>REFERENCES:</b></span></span></span></p> <span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">BanethG, Lavy E, Presentey B-Z, Shkap V. 1995. </span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Hepatozoon</i></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> sp. Parasitemia in a domestic cat. Feline Practice 23:10-12.</span></span> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ewing GO. 1977. Granulomatours cholangiohepatitis in a cat due to a protozoan parasite resembling </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hepatozoon canis</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">. Fel Pract 7:37-40.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Klopfer U, Nobel TA, Neumann F. 1973. </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hepatozoon</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">-like parasite (Schizonts) in the myocardium of the domestic cat. Vet Pathol 10:185-190.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Leeflang P, Ilemobade AA. 1977. TIck-borne disease of domestic animals in northern Nigeria. Trop An Prod 9:211-218.</span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Nobel TA, Neumann F, Klopfer U. 1974. Histopathology of the myocardium in 50 apparently healthy cats. Lab An 8:119-125.</span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Nordgren RM, Craig TM. 1984. Experimental transmission of the Texas strain of </span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hepatozoon canis</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">. Vet Parasitol 16:207-214.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Patton, WS. 1908. The haemogregarines of mammals and reptiles. Parasitology 1:318-321.</span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Van Amstel S. 1979. Hepatozoönosis in 'n kat. J S Afr Vet Assoc 10:215-216.</span></span></span></p> <p align="JUSTIFY"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Wenyon CM. 1926. Protozoology. Baillere, Tindall, and Cox, London, England.</span></span></span></p>