ABSTRACT
Up until the recent past, zoos served limited function, primarily
existing for entertainment value. Today’s zoos, however, are serving many
roles, chief among them: species conservation of captive animals. The biggest
zoo in Brazil, S?o Paulo Zoological Park Foundation, has among its 2000 animals
and many species of wild cats. The presence of domestic cats living freely in
zoos is common and can be a source of spreading disease. The aim of this study
was to verify the variety and prevalence of parasites found in the feces of
felids (feral and wild) living in the S?o Paulo Zoo. The results of this
parasitological analysis have been obtained from the laboratory of clinical
analysis and correspond to the 4-year period beginning January/2009 and ending
December/2012. Eight species of parasites were identified in the feces of
captive wild cats and three in the feces of feral cats. For those captives, Toxocara cati (7.95%) had the highest prevalence, followed by Toxascaris leonina (7.58%), Isospora sp. (2.03%), Hymenolepis nana (0.92%), Eimeria sp., Giardia sp. and Blastocystis sp. (0.37% each) and Ascaris sp. (0.18%). Among the feral cats, we found Toxocara cati (59.26%), Giardia sp. (22.22%) and Isospora sp. (11.11%). For the captive group, we also
distinguished natives from exotic species, finding native species to be more
frequently parasitized than the exotic ones. Key to our findings, though, was
the fact that a few parasite species were found among all groups of felids, specifically (Toxocara
cati, Giardia sp. and Isospora sp). Further research is
needed, however, to confirm that transmission of these parasites is occurring
between and among these groups.
Share and Cite:
Lima, T.A., Salgado, P.A.B., Chagas, C.R.F., Ramos, P.L., Adriano, E.A. and Gonzalez, I.H.L. (2020) Feral Cats: Parasitic Reservoirs in Our Zoos?
Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine,
10, 126-138. doi:
10.4236/ojvm.2020.108011.