Insights into the prevalence and diagnosis of feline otoacariasis in Egypt.

The ear mite, Otodectes cynotis Hering, 1838 (Family: Psoroptidae) is the common cause of a worldwide parasitic infestation in cats, feline otoacariasis. The current study aimed to detect the occurrence of Otodectes cynotis in owned cats of various breeds in Cairo, Giza and Beni-Suef provinces, Egypt. Risk factors including age, sex, breed and seasons were considered. Questionnaire of cat owners was done. Mites were collected from cats and underwent laboratory investigations for further identification. Conventional PCR was done using specific primers targeting mtDNA CO1 and the revealed mite sequences genetically compared to those recorded in GenBank using phylogenetic analysis. The overall prevalence of mites was 25.47% (174/683). Clinically, various degrees of clinical signs were exhibited; mostly, brownish granular/waxy ear discharge, pruritis head rubbing, erythematous dermatitis and unilateral ear scratching. The recovered mites were microscopically identified. Adult males, females as well as developmental stages, including eggs, protonymphs and deuto-/tritonymphs, were recognized. Specific diagnostic PCR band revealed at 655 bp. Phylogenetically, the recovered mite species was closely related to similar species recorded in GenBank. The mite was predominant in the ear canal of infested cats. Among risk factors, it has been found that age, seasons and breed significantly influenced the prevalence of Otodectes cynotis. On the other hand, no statistical significance relative to the sex was obtained. Based on the revealed criteria, it has been found that the recovered mite was Otodectes cynotis. Further investigations are needed for control programming in terms of hygiene.