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Research Papers
Introduction
Stray cats are widespread in the urban area of Lisbon, where they survive by scavenging on garbage, human handouts and predation of reptiles, rodents and birds. These animals are not subjected to a regular anti-parasitic treatment and therefore contribute to the maintenance of parasite cycles in urban areas. Parasites are transmitted to humans either through direct contact with parasitized animals or through exposure to contaminated soil and water. Children, amongst the general population, are at greater risk of acquiring parasitic infections through contaminated soil in parks, schoolyards and playgrounds (Blaszkowska et al., 2013). Household cats that have access to the outdoors become infected through parasitic stages in the environment or by ingestion of intermediate and paratenic hosts and may transmit parasites to their owners. In humans, Toxocara cati infection may cause visceral and ocular larva migrans. Toxocariasis was considered the most frequent and pathogenic helminthic zoonosis in the USA (Hotez, 2008). Mizgajska (2001) recorded 38-53% infected soil samples in city backyards in Poland and found that human exposure to Toxocara spp. was proportional to the prevalence of eggs in soil samples. Other cat parasites that can infect humans but are believed to have a lower zoonotic and pathogenic potential include the hookworm Ancylostoma tubaeforme, which causes cutaneous larva migrans (Robertson & Thompson, 2002) and the tapeworm Dipylidium caninum, which most often affects children, causing abdominal discomfort, diarrhoea and pruritus (Szwaja et al., 2011; Taylor & Zitzmann, 2011). In cats, clinical manifestations associated with enteric and pulmonary parasites vary from asymptomatic to severe disease and even death, depending on the age of the animal, its immune status and parasite burden.
Current prevalence data on cat parasites in Portugal are based on results from surveys performed by means of coproscopy (Duarte et al., 2010; Ferreira et al., 2011). Although stool examination provides a general evaluation of parasites' prevalence, results may not accurately reflect their true prevalence and heterogeneity, due to the limitations inherent to coprology, i.e. absence of parasite shedding during the pre-patent period and in the case of immature or single-sex infections, intermittent shedding of parasitic stages, lack of sensitivity with low parasite burdens and choice of the best coprological method....