More than half of New York City's free-roaming cats are infected with at least one internal parasite capable of spreading to humans, according to a new study published in PLOS One this week — with Toxocara roundworms, a parasite whose larvae can migrate to the eyes and cause vision loss in humans, found in more than half of infected cats.
The study, conducted by researchers from Long Island University's College of Veterinary Medicine and Rowan University's Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine, examined cats enrolled in New York City's Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program, according to EurekAlert's report on the findings. Of 57.5% of sampled cats who tested positive for at least one zoonotic parasite, the single most prevalent was Toxocara — present in 54% of infected cats — followed by hookworm (13.8%), coccidia (11.5%), and Giardia (11.6%).
