Haemotropic Mycoplasma species in pet cats in Latvia : a study, phylogenetic analysis and clinical case report

Funding Information: This study was supported by ERDF project number 1.1.1.1/16/A/044. Funding Information: The authors thank Dr Liene Liga Dindonis and colleagues from Dz?vnieku Vesel?bas Centrs, R?ga, and veterinary clinic ?Vinni?, Liep?ja, for their continuous inspiration and help with collecting and managing the blood samples. Positive Mycoplasma species controls were kindly donated by Claudia Thiel, Institute of Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, University of Munich, Germany. This study was supported by ERDF project number 1.1.1.1/16/A/044. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2021.Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether haemotropic Mycoplasma species are detected in pet cats in Latvia, to perform a phylogenetic analysis of the detected pathogens and to report a clinical case of feline infectious anaemia. Methods: Peripheral blood samples (n = 125) from pet cats were submitted; 99 samples were adequate to test for the presence of Mycoplasma species DNA by nested PCR. A clinical case was added in the later stages of the study. Positive isolates were subjected to phylogenetic analysis. Results: The prevalence of ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum’ was 15% (n = 15/99), that of Mycoplasma haemofelis was 5% (5/99) and that of ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis’ was 2% (n = 2/99). Cases of coinfection included ‘Candidatus M haemominutum’ + M haemofelis (4%; n = 4/99) and ‘Candidatus M haemominutum’ + ‘Candidatus M turicensis’ (1%; n = 1/99). This is the first published report of M haemofelis infection in the Baltic states. Two different ‘Candidatus M turicensis’ isolates were discovered after phylogenetic analysis. Conclusions and relevance: This report is the first of an autochthonous feline infectious anaemia case in the Baltic region. The prevalence of Mycoplasma species was similar to that in other northern European countries. Phylogenetic analysis revealed variability of the isolates; one of the ‘Candidatus M turicensis’ genotypes was detected for the first time in Europe.Peer reviewe