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United States virus
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RESERVOIR
The domesticated cat, Felis catus, and squirrel, in the family Sciuridae, have been linked to the disease and are possible reservoir hosts. Both animals have been found dead in great numbers in the regions monitored, especially the squirrel; the corpses of which have been found in startlingly high numbers in all regions of the disease.
Figure 1: Shows the geographical range of the domesticated cat. Yellow indicates the regions of prevalence.
Domesticated Cat
Felis catus is found in human populated areas on every continent with the exception of Antarctica. Their global distribution attributes to their domestication by humans, but there are a plethora of feral cats as well. Domestic cats are primarily found in areas of human habitation while feral cats are found living in close proximity to current or past human settlements they are familiar with. There are over 100 breeds of domestic cats that vary in mass range and length but have similar body shape and size. Felis catus is occasionally preyed on by predators including but not limited to coyotes, foxes, alligators, and mountain lions. They are beneficial to the human population as they are used for great pest control agents of rodents. Feral cats as well as domestic cats not taken care of properly can transmit parasites and diseases to humans such as tapeworms, hookworms, and roundworms.
Figure 2: Latex aggulation test card for reservoir species. The letter in parenthesis corresponds to where the samples were taken from: California (C), Florida (F), Montana (M), and Nevada (N). Clumping indicates a positive test.
