Hemoplasma infections are frequently found among cats in multiple-cat environments. While Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum (CMhm) is usually nonpathogenic, Mycoplasma haemofelis (Mhf) is thought to cause hemolytic anemia in cats and is frequently found in mixed infection associated with feline retrovirus. To evaluate prevalence of Mhf, CMhm and retrovirus infection among cats maintained in shelters (5) and breeding catteries (3) from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, blood samples were obtained from 134 cats and tested by means of a conventional PCR targeting 16S rRNA for Mhf (1309 pb) and CMhm (1354 pb). For FIV and FeLV infection, a commercial ELISA test was used. Bidirectional DNA Sanger sequencing was carried in CMhm amplicons. An overall occurrence of 9.7% (13/134) for Mhf and 2.2% (3/134) for CMhm was found.

Results suggest that hemoplasma and retrovirus infection may occur most frequently among cats from shelters and might be dependent on animal density and population size. The absence of FIV, FeLV infection and CMhm infection among cats from breeding colonies could be explained by better husbandry and preventive measures adopted.

Table 1. Frequency of Mycoplasma haemofelis (Mhf), Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum (CMhm), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infections in cats from breeding catteries and shelters. São Paulo, 2016.