TRTTRICHOMONAS FOETUS: WHAT'S NEW ON THE HORIZON IN DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

摘要

Trichomonosis is a highly prevalent feline disease of cats that is caused by the protozoal pathogen, Tritrichomonas foetus. T. foetus was definitively identified as a cause of chronic large bowel diarrhea in cats in 2003 and since then its prevalencehas been increasingly recognized. Although T. foetus has the potential to infect any cat, the prevalence of T. foetus is especially high (up to 30%) in young purebred cats that are maintained in high-density housing environments (e.g., shelters, catteries, breeding facilities).1 No breed of cat is known to be resistant to infection. The clinical signs of feline T. foetus infection have been well described; however, the mechanisms by which T. foetus causes diarrheal disease in cats is not understood. Following experimental infection, T. foetus infects the distal ileum and large intestine of cats and causes a chronic, often waxing and waning diarrhea.2 Cats can remain asymptomatic and undergo long periods of remission that permit the spread of the infection1,2 Transmission of feline T. foetus is presumed to occur by the fecal-oral route. Despite the lack of environmentally stable cysts, in vitro studies have demonstrated that T. foetus can survive in moist cat feces and cat food at ambient temperaturesfor a prolonged period.