Welcome to the American Ornithological Society 2018 Annual Conference. We are pleased to have you join us at the lovely Hilton El Conquistador Resort in Tucson, AZ.
Cats (Felis catus), whether feral or domestic but allowed outdoors, are involved as hosts or vectors in a wide array of diseases that affect humans. For many such zoonoses, the role of cats may be minor or little studied. However, there are three diseases where cats can have a significant and well-documented role in human health and are the focus of this talk: rabies, plague and toxoplasmosis. Plague and rabies, while historically urban diseases, are now primarily sylvatic in the United States. Free-ranging cats can serve as a bridge from sylvatic disease cycles, exposing humans in urban and peri-urban environments. Both diseases are routinely fatal for humans unless treated early but may not be looked for in diagnoses. In contrast, toxoplasmosis, for which felids are the obligate host, is primarily urban and peri-urban but can have disease effects on wildlife well beyond such peri-urban cores. For humans toxoplasmosis, primarily spread through cat feces, is a serious threat in utero and to the immunocompromised, while subclinical expressions of infection are increasingly linked to non-lethal human behavioral changes and mental illness such as schizophrenia. Cats, besides their effects on wildlife, are a public health issue and this needs to be considered in their management.
