Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fulminant Tritrichomonas foetus 'feline genotype' infection in a 3-month old kitten associated with viral co-infection.
- Journal:
- Veterinary parasitology
- Year:
- 2019
- Authors:
- Setyo, Laura et al.
- Affiliation:
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science · United Kingdom
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 3-month-old Bengal kitten was diagnosed with a severe infection caused by Tritrichomonas foetus, a type of parasite that can lead to diarrhea in young cats. This kitten had been experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, low energy, and coughing for eight days. Tests showed that the kitten was also infected with two viruses, feline enteric coronavirus and feline panleukopenia virus, which may have weakened its immune system and allowed the parasite to cause such a serious infection. The presence of the parasite was confirmed through testing of the stool. The treatment's effectiveness and the long-term effects of the co-infection will need further study, but the immediate situation was quite serious.
Abstract
Tritrichomonas foetus is a flagellate protist which commonly causes a waxing and waning large bowel diarrhoea in young cats. We report severe T. foetus infection of the colon, cecum and ileum with concurrent feline enteric coronavirus (FCoV) and feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) in a 3-month-old Bengal kitten with an 8-day history of vomiting, diarrhoea, failure to thrive and coughing. Protozoa filling the lumen and crypts and occasional invading into lamina propria were identified within the affected colon and confirmed by PCR as T. foetus 'feline genotype'. Assessment of faeces by PCR revealed concurrent infection with FCoV and FPV. It is possible that immunosuppression by FPV played a role in the unprecedented T. foetus infection intensity observed histologically. Studies during and after resolution of FPV infection, will be critical to determine if T. foetus co-infection affects long-term prognosis of FPV survivors.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30878079/