Investigation of cryptosporidium SPP. in cats wi̇th diarrhea

Objective: Cryptosporidium spp. is a protozoal parasite that can cause significant gastrointestinal diseases in humans and animals. While there are various studies on Cryptosporidium spp. in humans and some animal species in our country, there are no studies on the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. in cats with diarrhea. In this thesis, it was aimed to investigate the existence of Cryptosporidium spp. which is especially zoonatic in cats with diarrhea. Material and Methods: The animal material of the study was composed of 100 diarrheal cat feces of different ages, races and genders, which were brought to Aydın Adnan Menderes University Veterinary Faculty Animal Hospital for examination and treatment with the complaint of diarrhea. Slides prepared from stool samples taken from cats with diarrhea were stained with the Kinyoun acid-fast staining technique and examined under a microscope. Structures showing Cryptosporidium oocysts with a bright pink-red staining in a round shape, varying between 4.5 x 5.5μm on a blue background at x100 magnification under the microscope, were evaluated as positive. The differences between the duration of diarrhea, stool consistency, distribution of Cryptosporidium species according to gender and age were evaluated with the chi-square (X2) test. Results: The presence of Cryptosporidium spp. was found to be %5 in stool samples collected from cats with diarrhea. Conclusion: According to the data obtained in this study, it was concluded that it is important to consider Cryptosporidium spp. in cats with diarrhea. It was thought that the obtained data could be a reference for future studies. Keywords: Cats, Cryptosporidium, diarrhea.