Diagnóstico molecular dos casos suspeitos de Anaplasma platys em felinos domésticos atendidos no Hospital Veterinário Universitário da Universidade Federal de Campina Grande.

Abstract

Anaplasmosis is one of the major hemoparasites that affects dogs and cats, and it’s more commonly reported in tropical regions. Few published papers describe in felines their main clinical and hematological alterations, as well as the positivity of the disease through PCR. The present study had the purpose of confirming suspicious cases of feline anaplasmosis through PCR, from April 2018 to February 2019, after evidence of platelet morulae from 32 cats treated at HVU-UFCG. Parameters of age, sex and race, as well as the main hematological alterations were evaluated. Samples of whole blood with anticoagulant EDTA 10% were analyzed in automated apparatus Poch 100-iv Diff (Sysmex, Brazil) and the differential realized in microscope in the manification of 400 and 1000 times. The aliquots were run for the nested PCR that confirmed the presence of Anaplasma platys in six samples. In the six positive animals, no clinically relevant erythrocyte abnormalities were observed. In two cats (33.3%) leukocytosis was observed and two (33.3%) presented thrombocytopenia. The nPCR is of fundamental importance for the confirmation of the diagnosis of anaplasmosis in those animals that presented basophilic platelet inclusions in the blood smear. The following study is the first molecular diagnosis of A. platys in felines, conducted in the state of Paraíba.