title: Tritrichomonas foetus infection in cats with diarrhea from densely housed origins.
abstract: Tritrichomonas foetus is a protozoan parasite that has been recently identified as a causative agent of chronic diarrhea in domestic cats. Transmission of infection occurs by the fecal-oral route through direct contact among animals. Consequently, feline trichomonosis (FT) is more likely to be present in multi-cat environments. The objective of this work was to study the presence of T. foetus and some associated risk factors in cats from densely housed origins and with a reported history of chronic diarrhea. Animals enrolled in this study were family cats (n=15) acquired from pet shops, shelters or breeding centers and cattery cats belonging to one breeding center (n=28) and two cat shelters (A and B, n=25 each). In the catteries, a follow-up analysis for a period of up to 2 months was also performed to determine the parasite shedding pattern in feces and the incidence of infection. Fecal samples were analyzed using in vitro culture and a PCR technique. T. foetus was detected in a total of 38.7% (36/93) of the cats with chronic diarrhea. Parasite infection was similarly detected in family cats and cattery animals (40% versus 38.4%). In the catteries, the parasite was detected in 50%, 44% and 20% of the animals from the breeding center and shelters A and B, respectively. The follow-up analysis showed that 58.3% of infected cats intermittently shed trophozoites in their feces, with an incidence of 23.1%. Investigation of potential risk factors showed that cats ≤1 year old were more likely to be infected than older cats (57.1% versus 27.3%; P<0.05). No significant differences were found when sex and breed factors were studied. These results confirm the importance of FT as a cause of chronic diarrhea in cats and highlight the relevance of close contact conditions for T. foetus transmission.
authors.affiliation: SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Veterinary Faculty, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Arranz-Solís
authors.affiliation: SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Veterinary Faculty, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pedraza-Díaz
authors.affiliation: EPICONTROL-PET PARASITE LAB, Animal Health Department, Veterinary Faculty, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Guadalupe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Miró
authors.affiliation: SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Veterinary Faculty, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rojo-Montejo
authors.affiliation: EPICONTROL-PET PARASITE LAB, Animal Health Department, Veterinary Faculty, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Leticia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.affiliation: SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Veterinary Faculty, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Luis Miguel
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ortega-Mora
authors.affiliation: SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Veterinary Faculty, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: esthercf@ucm.es.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Collantes-Fernández
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002415:Cats; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D006799:Housing, Animal / Q000592:standards*; D015994:Incidence; D011156:Population Density; D011529:Protozoan Infections, Animal / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain; D016835:Tritrichomonas foetus / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Cats; Chronic diarrhea; Multi-cat environment; Risk factors; Single-household; Tritrichomonas foetus