Feline Leishmania spp . Infection in a Non-Endemic Area of Northern Italy

Feline leishmaniosis (FeL) is an emerging vector-borne feline disease, with increasing numbers of cases reported and studies performed internationally. This study aimed to update the epidemiological status for FeL in stray cats in Milan, northern Italy; compare these results with previous studies in Northern Italy; and report clinicopathologic findings and coinfections in cats infected with spp. A total of 117 cats were tested for and retrovirus infection, hematological, and biochemical parameters. Demographic and clinical data were collected and FeL affected cats screened for selected coinfections. Overall, 10/117 (8.6%) cats tested positive for : in five cats DNA was found in popliteal lymph nodes and five were IFAT seropositive at titers from 1:80 to 1:160. Infected cats were concentrated in a specific area of Milan ( = 0.0154). No specific clinicopathologic abnormalities or retroviral infections were significantly linked to the infection, other than hypergammaglobulinemia ( = 0.0127). Seroreactivity to , and was found in some infected cats. A high prevalence of FeL was found in a non-endemic area of northern Italy and future studies should continually monitor this data to understand whether these cases are imported or if vectors are present in this area.