Genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic assays of Tritrichomonas foetus cell cultures in vitro and in vivo
Tritrichomonas foetus is a trichomonad parasite of vertebrates and the cause of bovine trichomonasis across the United States and elsewhere. Current and future control of this disease, which remains a substantial cost to livestock production, depends on the availability of reliable parasite antigens for diagnosis and vaccination. In this study, we apply several approaches including spatial proteomics, transcriptomic analysis in a natural calf model and single-cell RNA-seq to characterise the protein architecture of the T. foetus cell surface. We then examine the immunogenicity of these potential antigens in experimental infections with a series of custom peptide microarrays. We identify parasite-specific membrane bound proteins and show how these can be used effectively to diagnose infected animals, thereby providing a novel means of preventing parasite transmission in breeding herds.