title: Intestinal Tritrichomonas suis (=T. foetus) infection in Japanese cats.
abstract: Tritrichomonas suis (=T. foetus) has recently been reported to be a causative agent of chronic large-bowel diarrhea in cats. While the disease was previously attributed to Pentatrichomonas hominis, the etiologic agent for feline trichomonal diarrhea was identified as T. suis. Although feline trichomonosis due to T. suis has been reported at prevalences ranging from 14 to 31% in Europe and the U.S., no reports of the pathogen have been published to date in Japan. In 2008, however, we encountered a case of feline trichomonosis at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Hokkaido University. The parasite was identified as T. suis by nested PCR amplification of partial internal transcribed spacer region 1 and 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene sequences with T. suis-specific primers and DNA sequencing of the amplified products. We then conducted surveys for feline trichomonosis in three different animal hospitals using either cultivation and/or PCR-based assays. The results revealed that 13 of 147 samples (8.8%) were positive for T. suis, and that 5 of the 13 infected cats, which ranged between 1 month and 7.5 years-old, showed chronic diarrhea. Seven of the infected cats were purebred and 6 were mixed breed. These findings suggested that feline trichomonosis is prevalent in Japan, and that T. suis may play a role as a causative agent of feline chronic diarrhea.
authors: United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Yamaguchi University,  Yamaguchi 753-8515, Japan.
authors: Junko
authors: J
authors: Doi
authors: Junichi
authors: J
authors: Hirota
authors: Akihiko
authors: A
authors: Morita
authors: Kanae
authors: K
authors: Fukushima
authors: Hiromi
authors: H
authors: Kamijyo
authors: Hiroshi
authors: H
authors: Ohta
authors: Masahiro
authors: M
authors: Yamasaki
authors: Toru
authors: T
authors: Takahashi
authors: Ken
authors: K
authors: Katakura
authors: Yuzaburo
authors: Y
authors: Oku
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D002415:Cats; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D015995:Prevalence; D011529:Protozoan Infections, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D012340:RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016835:Tritrichomonas foetus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D012340:RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S