| Otodectosis of cats and dogs,a highly infectious and widely spread parasitic disease with worldwide distribution,is caused by Otodectes cynotis parasitizing on the surface of the ear canal,it is also potentially harmful to people.The main clinical symptoms of otodectosis are pruritus,abnormal increase of ear secretions,external otitis,etc.In severe cases,it can lead to auricular hematoma and ceruminous gland tumors.Reasonable and accurate prevention,diagnosis and treatment of otodectosis is therefore significant to ensure animal welfare.This study investigated the cases of otodectosis in dogs and cats in an animal hospital in Xi’an from June 2018 to June 2021.Based on the r DNA 18S-ITS1 of O.cynotis,a PCR method was established for the specific detection of O.cynotis from earwax samples,providing an auxiliary clinical diagnostic method.Meanwhile,the typical clinical cases were diagnosed,treated and analyzed to clarify the diagnosis process and treatment plan.The following results are obtained:1.From June 2018 to June 2021,400 canine earwax samples suspected to be infected with ear mites were collected from an animal hospital in Xi’an for microscopic morphological examination,and the detection rate of O.cynotis in dogs was 7%.Seasonal factors had an extremely significant effect on the infection of O.cynotis in dogs(P<0.01);Gender had significant influence on the infection of O.cynotis in dogs(P<0.05);Age had no significant effect on the infection of O.cynotis in dogs(P>0.05).Compared with the dogs treated with prophylactic insect repellent,the probability of ear mite infection in dogs never treated with insect repellent was extremely higher(P<0.01).Among the cases infected with ear mites,there was no significant difference in the proportion of single infection and mixed infection(P>0.05).2.The same microscopic morphological examination on suspected ear mites cases were conducted by collecting 460 feline earwax samples from an animal hospital in Xi’an during June 2018 to June 2021,with the detection rate of O.cynotis in cats being 36.5%.Seasonal factors and age had an extremely significant effect on the infection of O.cynotis in cats(P<0.01);but gender had no significant effect on the infection of O.cynotis in cats(P>0.05).In comparison with the cats applied prophylactic insect repellent,the chances of ear mite infection in cats without using insect repellent was extremely significantly higher(P<0.01).Among the cases of ear mites,there was no significant difference in the proportion of single infection and mixed infection(P>0.05).3.On the basis of the r DNA 18S-ITS1 sequence,a specific PCR method for the detection of O.cynotis was established,which showed good specificity and high sensitivity.There was no significant difference between this method and microscopy in clinical samples(P>0.05),and the consistency was good.Analysis on the phylogenetic relationship of r DNA ITS1 of O.cynotis showed that all the gene sequences collected in this study belonged to O.cynotis,and there was no geographical difference or host-specific variation of ITS1 sequence.4.The results of diagnostic analysis of typical cases showed that there was no significant difference between the clinical symptoms of co-infection cases and simple infection cases.However,in terms of characteristics of the secretions,the ear secretions of the co-infection cases of Malassezia spp.and ear mites were sticky,while that of the simple infection cases were dry.So deworming is the main therapeutic treatement of otodectosis,plus prevention and treatment of secondary infection and concurrent symptoms.In conclusion,dogs and cats can be infected with O.cynotis.Seasonal factors,gender and deworming conditions affect the infection of O.cynotis in dogs,while seasonal factors and deworming conditions exert an influence on the infection of O.cynotis in cats.The established specific PCR method for detecting O.cynotis provides an auxiliary method for the clinical diagnosis.This study has clarified the cases,the clinical diagnosis process and treatment plan of otodectosis in dogs and cats in this animal hospital in Xi’an. |
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