Pei-Ling Kao

Dr. Pei-Ling Kao

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

4Years (2023-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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28 November 2023 in Viruses
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
CKChih-ying Kuan
Chih-ying Kuan
SOShan-Chia Ou
Shan-Chia Ou
CCChao-Chin Chang
Chao-Chin Chang
PKPei-Ling Kao
Pei-Ling Kao
RTRuei-Sheng Tsai
Ruei-Sheng Tsai
Chi-Chung ChouChi-Chung Chou
Chi-Chung Chou
Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS), caused by the SFTS Virus (SFTSV), is a global health threat. SFTSV in Taiwan has only been reported in ruminants and wild animals. Thus, we aimed to investigate the infection statuses of dogs and cats, the animals with closer human interactions. Overall, the SFTSV RNA prevalence was 23% (170/735), with dogs showing a 25.9% (111/429) prevalence and cats at 19.3% (59/306) prevalence. Noticeably, the prevalence in stray animals (39.8% 77/193) was significantly higher than in domesticated ones (17.2%, 93/542). Among the four categories analyzed, the highest SFTSV prevalence was found in the stray dogs at 53.9% (120/193), significantly higher than the 24.2% prevalence noted in stray cats. In contrast, domesticated animals exhibited similar prevalence rates, with 17.1% for dogs and 17.2% for cats. It is noteworthy that in the domesticated animal groups, a significantly elevated prevalence (45%, 9/20) was observed among cats exhibiting thrombocytopenia compared to those platelet counts in the reference range (4.8%, 1/21). The high infection rate in stray animals, especially stray dogs, indicated that exposure to various outdoor environments influences the prevalence of infections. Given the higher human interaction with dogs and cats, there is a need for proactive measures to reduce the risk associated with the infection of SFTSV in both animals and humans.