Prevalence of ectoparasites on a stray cat population from "Town of Knowledge" Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

Authors: NAIM CHE KAMARUDDIN, MADINAH ADRUS, WAN NURAINIE WAN ISMAIL

Abstract: Stray cats survive on their own and scavenge the surrounding areas for food to survive. Their exploitation to investigate the prevalence of ectoparasites can be of great medical importance for humans as they harbour a variety of zoonotic pathogens. Therefore, a survey of ectoparasites on stray cats was carried out from November 2017 to March 2018 around the Town of Knowledge to determine the prevalence of ectoparasites in stray cats and their potential to threaten the public health by infesting stray cats around Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. A total of 150 individuals of stray cats have been examined for ectoparasites. Of these hosts, 113 individuals (75.3%) of the stray cats were infested by at least one species of ectoparasites. There were nine species of ectoparasites belonging to four groups (louse, flea, mite, and tick). Louse (Felicola subrostratus, 44.7%) is the most frequent species of ectoparasite infesting the hosts in this area, followed by flea species, namely, Ctenocephalides felis (18.7%) and Ctenocephalides felis orientis (16.0%). Lynxacarus radovskyi (24.0%), Otodectes cynotis (0.7%), mite sp. 1 (0.7%), and mite sp. 2 (0.7%) constitute the four most common species of mites. Haemaphysalis sp. 1 (0.7%) and Haemaphysalis sp. 2 (0.7%) are the ticks discovered in this area. The result of this study highlights the importance of managing stray cats and controlling their population to minimize the number of individuals that can serve as ectoparasites hosts.

Keywords: Ectoparasite, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, prevalence, stray cats, zoonoses

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