Prevalence of <i>Tritrichomonas foetus</i> infection in cats with diarrhoea in the UK

Gunn-Moore, Danièlle; McCann, T. M.; Reed, Nicki; Simpson, Kerry; Tennant, Bryn

doi:10.1016/j.jfms.2007.01.003

Cited by 73 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The aims of our study were to assess whether trichomonads can be isolated from diarrheic cats in Switzerland and to determine to what species the trichomonads belong to. This was of great interest to us because T. foetus, the species that has been isolated from cats by authors in the US, UK, and Norway (Gookin et al 2002Gunn-Moore et al 2007;Dahlgren et al 2007), is a notifiable disease in cattle in Switzerland and, for more than 10 years, no case of bovine infection had been reported. To answer the questions outlined above, we decided to screen clinical cases of cats suffering from chronic diarrhea with a commercially available culture system that has been accepted by the OIE for the surveillance of cattle (Anonymous 2004), but which also has been evaluated for the diagnosis of intestinal trichomonadid infection in cats .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Experimental gastrointestinal infection of cats with T. foetus isolated from a naturally infected cat resulted in the characteristic large-bowel diarrhea of the natural infection (Gookin et al 2001). Cats affected by infection with T. foetus were mostly of young age, lived in multi-cat households and were predominantly pedigree cats (Gookin et al 1999;Gunn-Moore et al 2007). Most cats were presented with a history of chronic diarrhea and unsuccessful treatment against Giardia infection (Gookin et al 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Intestinal Tritrichomonas foetus infection in cats in Switzerland detected by in vitro cultivation and PCR

et al. 2008

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Tritrichomonas foetus, a parasite well known for its significance as venereally transmitted pathogen in cattle, has recently been identified as a cause of chronic largebowel diarrhea in domestic cats in the US, UK, and, more recently, also in Norway. In a period of 3 months (October to December 2007), 45 cats of Switzerland suffering from chronic diarrhea were investigated for intestinal infections, including a search for trichomonads. A commercially available in vitro culture system was used to screen for infection, complemented with a PCR and subsequent amplicon sequencing to support speciation. The PCR is based upon amplification of a sequence derived from the internal transcribed spacer region 1 (ITS1) on the ribosomal RNA gene (rRNA) using primers designed to detect a broad range of genera and species belonging to the family of Trichomonadidae. The method was furthermore adapted to the uracil DNA glycosylase (UDG) system in order to prevent carry-over contamination and it included a recombinant internal control to track for inhibitory reactions. Eleven out of the 45 cats were culture-positive, as revealed by microscopic identification of trichomonadid organisms. One of the isolates was subjected to scanning electron microscopy and findings revealed the presence of three flagella, thus placing the isolate into the gender Tritrichomonas sp. PCR and subsequent amplicon sequencing were carried out with ten of the 11 isolates. A total homology with published T. foetus sequences was confirmed in all of the cases. T. foetus therefore appears to range among those organisms that can cause chronic diarrhea in cats in Switzerland.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intestinal Tritrichomonas foetus infection in cats in Switzerland detected by in vitro cultivation and PCR

et al. 2008

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“…Nevertheless, it has higher sensitivity and specificity than previous methods ). Although highly desirable to employ a unique technique that can diagnose accurately and quickly an etiologic agent, the use of molecular biology alone can lead to false negative results (Gunn-Moore et al 2007); to improve the diagnostic sensitivity more than one technique must be employed (Hale et al 2009). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-infection by Tritrichomonas foetus and Pentatrichomonas hominis in asymptomatic cats

et al. 2015

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RESUMO.-[Co-infecção por Tritrichomonas foetus e Pentatrichomonas hominis em gatos assintomáticos.] Tritrichomonas foetus, um parasito bem conhecido por seu significado como um agente patogênico transmitido venereamente em bovinos, também foi identificado como causa de diarreia crónica do intestino grosso em gatos domésticos em muitos países. No Brasil, vários estudos sobre o diagnósti-co de tricomonose bovina foram realizados, mas até agora, não há informação disponível em relação à trichomonose felina. Assim, este é o primeiro estudo a relatar a ocorrência Tritrichomonas foetus, a parasite well known for its significance as a venereally transmitted pathogen in cattle, has been identified as a cause of chronic large bowel diarrhea in domestic cats in many countries of the world. In Brazil, several studies on the diagnosis of bovine trichomoniasis have been performed, but until now, no study was made regarding feline trichomoniasis. Thus, this is the first study to report the occurrence of T. foetus and Pentatrichomonas hominis in cats using morphological and molecular analysis. Feces from 77 cats were examined, four of which (5.2%) were positive for the presence of parabasalids. Morphological analysis of stained smears revealed piriform trophozoites showing the three anterior flagella, elongated nucleus and axostyle ending abruptly in fillet, characteristic of T. foetus. In scanning and transmission electron microscopy, identification characters similar to those previously reported for T. foetus were observed. The cultures containing trophozoites were submitted for molecular analysis, which resulted positive for T. foetus DNA using specific primers (TFR3 and TFR4), and all samples were positive and subjected to sequencing in which they showed 99.7-100% similarity with another isolate sequencing of T. foetus (JX960422). Although no trophozoite with consistent morphology of P. hominis has been visualized in the samples, differential diagnosis was performed using specific primers for P. hominis (TH3 and TH5) amplicon. In three of the four samples (3.89%) sequencing revealed 100% similarity when compared with another sequence of P. hominis deposited in Genbank (KC623939). Therefore, the present study revealed through the diagnostic techniques employed the simultaneous infection by T. foetus and P. hominis in the feces of cats. However, it was necessary to use more than one technique for the diagnosis of the co-infection. These results demonstrate the importance of a correct diagnosis to allow an appropriate treatment by the veterinarian.

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“…Since 2003 and the first reports of T. foetus as a cause of diarrhea in cats in the United States, the existence of T. foetus has been reported in many countries around the world (for example, many European countries, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Korea), including Greece (Gunn-Moore et al 2007, Steiner et al 2007, Bissett et al 2008, Frey et al 2009, Holliday et al 2009, Pham 2009, Xenoulis et al 2010a). The prevalence of infection of cats with T. foetus depends mainly on the location (country), the cat population tested and the diagnostic methods used.…”

Section: Prevalence Of Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tritrichomonas foetus: a new cause of diarrhea in cats in Greece

Xenoulis¹

2017

J Hellenic Vet Med Soc

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ABSTRACT.Over the past few years, the protozoan parasite Tritrichomonas foetus (T foetus) has emerged as a new and important cause of feline diarrhea in the international veterinary community. In a recent study, the presence of T. foetus was confirmed for the first time in cats in Greece. The protozoan parasite Τ foetus has been primarily known as a cause of trichomoniasis in cattle. In this animal species, the parasite affects the reproductive system of both males and females and is associated with infertility and other reproductive problems. It was first described as a cause of feline diarrhea in 2003 in the United States. Since then, feline Τ foetus -associated diarrhea has been reported in many countries around the world and, recently, it was, also, described in cats in Greece. The trophozoites of the parasite are excreted in the feces and healthy cats are infected with the ingestion of T. foetus trophozoites. Τ foetus affects mainly the colon and the last part of the small intestine. Τ /oeto-associated diarrhea occurs mainly in young cats, but cats of any age can be infected and develop clinical signs. The main clinical sign is diarrhea, which may contain mucus or blood, and it often has spontaneous remissions and exacerbations. General clinical sings such as anorexia, weight loss and fever occur less frequently. If left untreated, the diarrhea often persists for months or years. In some cats, the clinical signs eventually resolve without treatment, but this can take up to 2 years. Moreover, these animals usually remain infected and are a source of infection for other cats (or humans) and often the clinical signs relapse in situations of stress. Feline Τ foetus infection can be diagnosed mainly by: a) microscopic examination of fecal samples, b) fecal culture specific for Τ foetus and c) fecal PCR. None of the above methods is diagnostic in 100% of cases and, therefore, these methods should be used in combination and bearing in mind the disadvantages of each method. Most antiparasitic and antibiotic drugs are not effective in treating diarrhea caused by T. foetus . Transient improvement can be seen with the use of common antibiotics or antiparasitic drugs, but the clinical signs typically recur with discontinuation of treatment. The only drug with proven efficacy against T. foetus in cats is ronidazol, which is usually used at a dose of 30 mg/kg, orally every 24 hours for 14 days. In some cases, the clinical sings recur with discontinuation of treatment but they usually resolve after one additional treatment cycle. The most serious side effect of ronidazole in cats is the development of neurological signs, but those usually resolve with discontinuation of treatment. Finally, T. foetus may be transmitted to humans, although this has not been proven. Keywords 133συγκεκριμένου παρασίτου επιβεβαιώθηκε για πρώτη φορά και στην Ελλάδα. Το πρωτόζωο παράσιτο T. foetus είναι κυρίως γνωστό ως το αίτιο της τριχομόνωσης των βοοειδών. Στο ζωικό αυτό είδος, το παράσιτο προσβάλλει το γεννητικό σύστημα τόσο των αρσενικών ό...

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Prevalence of Tritrichomonas foetus infection in cats with diarrhoea in the UK

Cited by 73 publications

References 11 publications

Intestinal Tritrichomonas foetus infection in cats in Switzerland detected by in vitro cultivation and PCR

Intestinal Tritrichomonas foetus infection in cats in Switzerland detected by in vitro cultivation and PCR

Co-infection by Tritrichomonas foetus and Pentatrichomonas hominis in asymptomatic cats

Tritrichomonas foetus: a new cause of diarrhea in cats in Greece

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