Role of Cats as Intermediate Rabies Vector: A Cross-Sectional Retrospective Laboratory Surveillance in Kerala (India)

Abstract

Introduction: Rabies in cats has been reported from all parts of the world where animal rabies is present. Today, cats are a popular and beloved pet.

Objective: A preliminary attempt to understand the role of cats in rabies epidemiology is made by undertaking a cross-sectional retrospective analysis of rabies cases in cats in the state of Kerala (India) for a period of 4 years from 2021 to 2024.

Methodology: The data on the rabies occurrence in cats brought for routine rabies diagnosis to the State Institute of Animal Diseases (SIAD), Palode, Kerala, are analyzed for test positivity, positivity in clinically suspected cases, the proportion of feline rabies in animal rabies, and the performance of different tests for cat rabies diagnosis, namely the Lateral Flow Immunochromatography Test, Direct Fluorescent Antibody Test (DFAT), and Microchip-based PCR (TrueNat PCR).

Result: The test positivity in cat samples was 6.5% from among all the cat samples received for rabies diagnosis. The test positivity was 24.6% for those samples from cats with clinical symptoms suggestive of rabies. DFAT detected 16 brain samples as positive out of the 69 tested. Out of the 16 cases detected as positive by DFAT, only 5 (31.3%) were positive in the lateral flow immunochromatography test. TruNat PCR detected all 16 positive cases detected by the reference test as positive, demonstrating 100% sensitivity.

Conclusion: This document discusses the potential of feline rabies infection and the importance of considering rabies in cats along with dog rabies control in rabies-endemic areas.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/0973.5038.202604

How to cite this article:
Sujatha A, Abraham S S, Devarajan S, Abeena B, Vijayakumar S. Role of Cats as Intermediate Rabies Vector: A Cross-Sectional Retrospective Laboratory Surveillance in Kerala (India). APCRI J. 2026; 28(1): 29-33.