Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tritrichomonas foetus parasite found in cats in southern Ontario
By Hosein, Ansarah et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2013·Department of Clinical Studies, Canada·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Isolation of Tritrichomonas foetus from cats sampled at a cat clinic, cat shows and a humane society in southern Ontario.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats from various locations in southern Ontario was tested for a parasite called Tritrichomonas foetus, which can cause chronic diarrhea. Out of 140 cats from a clinic, none showed signs of the parasite, while 23.6% of cats from cat shows tested positive. Interestingly, the study found that attending cat shows was linked to a higher chance of having the parasite, but there was no connection between the parasite and current or past diarrhea symptoms. This suggests that while the parasite is present in some cats, it may not always cause noticeable health issues.
People also search for: cat diarrhea causes · Tritrichomonas foetus in cats · cat show health risks
Abstract
Tritrichomonas foetus is a protozoan parasite that has been associated with chronic diarrhea in cats. This study aimed to determine (i) the prevalence of T foetus shedding in cats from three different populations in southern Ontario, and (ii) associations between the presence of T foetus and potential cat management, health and demographic risk factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 140 cats from a cat clinic in Guelph, 46 cats from a humane society in Guelph and 55 cats from two cat shows. Risk factor information was assessed through a questionnaire. The InPouch TF (feline) culture method was used to determine the presence of T foetus in all samples. Polymerase chain reaction was conducted on all samples positive by the InPouch TF, as well as 132 negative samples. The assays were interpreted in series and the prevalence of T foetus shedding and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated at 0.7% (95% CI: 0.0-3.9%; n = 140) from the cat clinic, 0% (95% CI: 0.0-7.7%; n = 46) from the humane society and 23.6% (95% CI: 13.2-37.0%; n = 55) from the cat shows. 'Attendance at cat shows' was the only variable significant in both the univariable and multivariable analyses (P <0.05). No significant association was found between the presence of T foetus and diarrhea at the time of sampling or having a history of diarrhea in the past 6 months. The prevalence of T foetus was highly variable among populations of cats in southern Ontario, with shedding being most common in show cats.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23362340/