Prevalence and Diagnostic Journey of Friedreich's Ataxia in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

Friedreich's Ataxia (FRDA) is the leading cause of ataxia worldwide, but data on epidemiology and diagnostic journey are scarce, particularly in Latin America. Herein we estimated the prevalence of FRDA in the most populous Brazilian state and characterized the diagnostic odyssey of the disease. We received anonymized data of patients with FRDA from advocacy groups and physicians. Prevalence was estimated dividing the number of patients by the population of the state as reported in the last census. Patients were invited to answer an online survey to describe clinical data and diagnostic journey of the disease. FRDA estimated prevalence was 0.367:100,000, with a slight predominance of women (58.2% vs 41.7%). One hundred and four patients answered the survey (mean age of 37.3 ± 13.8 years; 75.9% classical and 24.0% late onset). On average, 6.2 ± 4.1 physicians were visited before reaching the diagnosis. Mean diagnostic delay was 7.8 ± 6.7 years; no difference between classical and LOFA groups was found. Most of the patients reported unsteadiness and gait abnormalities as the first symptom. Neurologists and orthopedical surgeons were the main specialties first sought by patients. We found a prevalence of 0.36:100,000 for FRDA in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The disease is characterized by remarkable diagnostic delay, with no relevant differences between classical and LOFA patients.

Do you see the same cat that I see? Inter- and intra-observer reliability for Qualitative Behaviour Assessment as temperament indicator in domestic cats

Qualitative Behaviour Assessment (QBA) is used to assess animals' emotional expressions and its potential for serving as an indicator of temperament has been explored. This method is open to assessors' interpretation and it is therefore necessary to evaluate the observers' reliability for different species and contexts. We aimed to assess the intra- and inter-observer reliability of QBA as an indicator of cat (Felis catus) temperament. The QBA was applied by 19 observers with divergent profiles of contact with cats (cat owners vs non-owners) and experience in behavioural assessment (experienced vs inexperienced). Forty-two, 12-min videos were assessed, composed of footage of four behavioural tests: unfamiliar person, novel object, conspecific reaction, and food offering tests. By using Principal Component Analysis, we found three principal components (PC) that were considered the main dimensions of cat temperament. According to Kendall's coefficient of concordance, intra-observer reliability was high to very high in PC1 (0.80–0.90) and moderate to high in PC2 and PC3 (0.50–0.82). Inter-observer reliability for the 19 observers was high in PC1 (0.71) and low in PC2 and PC3 (0.21–0.29). The individual concordances with the gold observer (defined based on greater experience with the QBA) ranged from moderate to high. We concluded that QBA could be a reliable tool to assess cat temperament, given the high values of intra- and inter-observer reliabilities in PC1, which is the dimension that most explains the behavioural variations in the cats' temperament. The same did not occur for PC2 and PC3, showing that reliability varied among the different dimensions and observers.

Should cats be allowed outdoors? A research survey on animal welfare risks for free-ranging cats in Brazil

A need exists for research that contributes to estimating the risk factors associated with the management of outdoor cats (Felis silvestris catus) and addresses the lack of such surveys in Brazil and other Latin American countries. With this in mind we aimed to: i) identify the causal factors affecting the practice of owners allowing their cats to roam freely and; ii) evaluate potential welfare risks associated with the allowance of outdoor access, based on cat owners' reports. An online questionnaire consisting of 25 questions was answered by 8,485 Brazilian cat owners and logistic regression models used to obtain odds ratios. A number of the factors significantly related to owners allowing their cats to have outdoor access were unneutered cats, the manner in which the cat was acquired, residence in rural areas, the number of cats owned, the presence of other pets in the house, younger owner age, owner declaration of not being responsible for the cat, owner perception about the role of the cat in the house, owner knowledge about cats' potential for transmitting diseases, a lack of knowledge about zoonoses, and a lack of knowledge regarding toxoplasmosis. The practice of allowing outdoor access was associated with significantly higher odds of owners reporting several welfare issues, such as frequent flea contamination, sporotrichosis, going missing, poisoning, mistreatment, and accidents. We conclude that the practice of allowing outdoor access, as reported by 37.1% of our respondents, may result in risks to feline welfare. Increasing public awareness through campaigns that highlight the risks associated with outdoor access would improve feline management practices and welfare.