Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tritrichomonas infection causing diarrhea in cats - prevention
By Gruffydd-Jones, Tim et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2013·European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases. Tim.Gruffydd-Jones@bristol.ac.uk, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Tritrichomoniasis in cats: ABCD guidelines on prevention and management.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A young cat from a multi-cat household was experiencing frequent, foul-smelling diarrhea that sometimes contained mucus and blood. The veterinarian diagnosed the cat with a Tritrichomonas foetus infection, which is common in cats living in crowded environments. The recommended treatment was ronidazole, a medication that must be used cautiously due to its narrow safety margin. While some cats may recover without treatment, symptoms can last for months, so medication is often advised for quicker relief.
People also search for: cat diarrhea treatment · ronidazole for cats · why is my cat having diarrhea · tritrichomoniasis in cats · cat blood in stool
Abstract
OVERVIEW: Tritrichomonas foetus is a protozoan organism that is specific to cats and can cause large bowel diarrhoea. It is distinct from other Tritrichomonas species and not considered to be zoonotic. Infection is most common in young cats from multicat households, particularly pedigree breeding catteries. DISEASE SIGNS: Affected cats show frequent fetid diarrhoea, often with mucus, fresh blood and straining, but generally remain bright and do not lose weight. DIAGNOSIS: Diagnosis of infection is usually based on direct microscopic examination of freshly voided faeces. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing is more sensitive but may detect infections unrelated to diarrhoea and, therefore, requires care in interpretation. TREATMENT: The treatment of choice is ronidazole, which should be used with care as it is an unlicensed drug for cats with a narrow safety margin. Clinical signs are generally self-limiting in untreated cases, but may take months to resolve.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23813833/