Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tritrichomonas foetus infection and diarrhea in purebred cats
By Kuehner, Kirsten A et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2011·Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Tritrichomonas foetus infection in purebred cats in Germany: prevalence of clinical signs and the role of co-infection with other enteroparasites.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of purebred cats in Germany was found to have a high rate of Tritrichomonas foetus infection, with about 15.7% of them showing symptoms like abnormal stools and diarrhea. Notably, Norwegian Forest cats were more frequently affected. While some of these cats also had other intestinal parasites, this co-infection did not seem to make their diarrhea worse. The findings highlight the need for awareness of this infection in purebred cats, especially in catteries.
People also search for: cat diarrhea causes · Tritrichomonas foetus treatment in cats · Norwegian Forest cat health issues
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Tritrichomonas foetus infection and associated clinical signs in purebred cats in Germany, to investigate the role of co-infection, and identify determinants of infection. Faecal specimens accompanied by epidemiological questionnaires were scored and collected from 230 purebred cats. Faeces were examined for trichomonads and other enteroparasites. The prevalence of T foetus was 15.7% among cats and 18.5% among catteries. An abnormal faecal score and history of diarrhoea were observed in 64% and 61% of T foetus-positive cats, respectively, and correlated significantly with infection. Co-infection, observed in 36% of T foetus-infected cats, was not associated with diarrhoea. Norwegian Forest cats were infected significantly more often than other breeds. No association was found with any environmental factors. This study demonstrated a high prevalence of symptomatic T foetus infections in purebred cats in Germany. Co-infection with other enteroparasites did not worsen clinical signs of trichomonosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21288749/