Pathogenic trichomonads in cats and dogs

Trichomonads are anaerobic flagellated protists that are either parasites or commensals. They frequently inhabit digestive, respiratory, and urogenital tracts of vertebrates, including domestic cats and dogs. In these hosts, four trichomonad species has been described: Tetratrichomonas canistomae and Tetratrichomonas felistomae that are commensals of the host oral cavity; Pentatrichomonas hominis, a commensal of intestinal tract that could be found in dogs and cats but also in other mammals including humans; and pathogenic Tritrichomonas foetus that causes, in addition to cattle infection, feline intestinal trichomonosis. Although, trichomonads in dogs and cats are probably of cosmopolitan distribution we have no information about their presence in Czech Republic. The first aim of this study was to distinguish types of trichomonads present in the oral cavity of dogs and cats and to get preliminary epidemiological data. The second aim was to demonstrate the presence of Tritrichomonas foetus in cats and dogs in the Czech Republic and to identify potential risk factors for the disease. Cultivation and nested PCR were used to determine the presence of trichomonads in dogs and cats. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis based on ITS1-5.8rRNA-ITS2 gene sequence was used to identify species of isolated..