Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/vprsr Original Article Prevalence of endoparasites in northern Mississippi shelter cats Christina M. Loftin a,1 , Uri B. Donnett a,2 , Liesel G. Schneider b , Andrea S. Varela-Stokes c, ⁎ a Mississippi State University, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, 240 Wise Center Drive, Mississippi State MS39762, USA b University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Department of Animal Science, 2506 River Dr., Knoxville TN37996, USA c Mississippi State University, Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, 240 Wise Center Drive, Mississippi State MS39762, USA ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Feline Gastrointestinal parasites Urinary parasites Zoonosis Public health Southeast ABSTRACT Parasitism of domestic cats impacts feline health and public health, when zoonotic parasites are present. Our objective was to evaluate endoparasite prevalence in cats from northern Mississippi animal shelters. Feline cadavers (n = 56) were collected from seven shelters from August 2017 to January 2018. Data included shelter, sex, reproductive status, intake date, originating source, and treatment records. Cadavers were processed to isolate stomach, and small and large intestines. Contents were strained and examined using stereomicroscopes for helminth collection and identifcation. Centrifugal fotation using Sheather's solution was performed on feces; urine sediments were also examined. Descriptive statistics in SAS was performed using the Frequency procedure. Kappa agreement statistics were obtained to determine agreement between fecal fotation and necropsy results. Separate logistic regression models were developed to test efects of risk factors on the probability for cats to test positive for outcomes of interest. Helminths were recovered in 82% of cats (46/56); specifcally, Ancylostoma spp. (52%), Toxocara cati (43%), Taenia taeniaeformis (36%), Dipylidium caninum (29%), and Spirometra spp. (4%) were identifed. Thirty-seven of 56 cats (66%) had parasite eggs or oocysts on fecal examination, including T. cati (39%), Ancylostoma spp. (34%), Cystoisospora spp. (23%), Spirometra spp. (9%), T. taeniaeformis (9%), and capillarid-type eggs (5%). Feline originating source was associated with presence of T. cati eggs in feces and presence of D. caninum in the gastrointestinal tract. Feral cats were more likely to have T. cati eggs in feces than owner surrender cats (OR 28; 95% CI: 1.9, 423), or stray cats (OR 8, 95% CI: 1.1, 57.0). Owner surrender cats were more likely to have D. caninum helminths in the gastrointestinal tract than stray cats (OR = 19.5; 95% CI: 2.0, 190). Toxocara cati exhibited strong agreement (κ = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.52, 0.89), Ancylostoma spp. exhibited moderate agreement (κ = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.22, 0.65), and cestodes exhibited poor agreement (κ = 0.02, 95% CI: −0.12, 0.15) between presence of eggs and gross helminths. Capillarid eggs (Pearsonema feliscati) were re- covered in urine sediment of 6% (3/48) of cats. Overall, our study demonstrates a high level of parasitism in cats that entered Mississippi animal shelters. Parasites with zoonotic potential, such as Alaria spp., Ancylostoma spp., D. caninum, Physaloptera spp., T. taeniaeformis, T. cati, and Spirometra spp. were identifed. Our results support the need for efective antiparasitic treatment of cats entering animal shelters in order to improve feline health and prevent environmental contamination with zoonotic parasites. 1. Introduction Society often considers companion animals as important members of the household family. In fact, interactions with these animals have been associated with positive health efects in people, such as reduced anxiety and blood pressure (Friedmann et al., 1983; Wilson, 1991). Ownership of the domestic cat has been on the rise over the last two decades, with American families commonly obtaining cats from either animal shelters or as free-roaming/stray cats (APPA, 2017). While the exact numbers on feline intake and their outcomes are unknown in the shelter industry, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates that in the United States, approximately 3.2 million cats enter animal shelters every year and 1.6 million cats are adopted annually (ASPCA, 2017). Thus, animal shelters handle a large volume of cats, often free-roaming or stray cats with unknown medical his- tories. Many studies have demonstrated that free-roaming, stray, and feral cats are commonly afected by both external and internal parasites both https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vprsr.2019.100322 Received 31 January 2019; Received in revised form 27 June 2019; Accepted 23 July 2019 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: Stokes@cvm.msstate.edu (A.S. Varela-Stokes). 1 Present address: Mississippi State University, Center for Community-Engaged Learning, 55 Magruder St, Mississippi State MS 39762, USA 2 Present address: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, 2015 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports 18 (2019) 100322 Available online 24 July 2019 2405-9390/ © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. T