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Rivero MB, Alonso AM, Abdala ME, Luque ME, Carranza PG, Coceres VM, Rivero FD. Comparative membrane proteomic analysis of Tritrichomonas foetus isolates. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17033. [PMID: 39043862 PMCID: PMC11266394 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67827-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Tritrichomonas foetus is a flagellated and anaerobic parasite able to infect cattle and felines. Despite its prevalence, there is no effective standardized or legal treatment for T. foetus-infected cattle; the vaccination still has limited success in mitigating infections and reducing abortion risk; and nowadays, the diagnosis of T. foetus presents important limitations in terms of sensitivity and specificity in bovines. Here, we characterize the plasma membrane proteome of T. foetus and identify proteins that are represented in different isolates of this protozoan. Additionally, we performed a bioinformatic analysis that revealed the antigenicity potential of some of those proteins. This analysis is the first study to identify common proteins at the plasma membrane of different T. foetus isolates that could be targets for alternative diagnostic or vaccine techniques in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria B Rivero
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Inmunología y Microbiología (LaBIM), Instituto Multidisciplinario de Salud, Tecnología y Desarrollo (IMSaTeD), CONICET-UNSE, Santiago del Estero, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (FCM-UNSE), Santiago del Estero, Argentina
| | - Andrés M Alonso
- Laboratorio de Parásitos Anaerobios, Instituto Tecnológico Chascomús (INTECH), CONICET-UNSAM, B7130IWA, Chascomús, Argentina
- Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías (UNSAM), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maria E Abdala
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Inmunología y Microbiología (LaBIM), Instituto Multidisciplinario de Salud, Tecnología y Desarrollo (IMSaTeD), CONICET-UNSE, Santiago del Estero, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (FCM-UNSE), Santiago del Estero, Argentina
- Facultad de Agronomía y Agroindustrias (FAyA-UNSE), Santiago del Estero, Argentina
| | - Melchor E Luque
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Inmunología y Microbiología (LaBIM), Instituto Multidisciplinario de Salud, Tecnología y Desarrollo (IMSaTeD), CONICET-UNSE, Santiago del Estero, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (FCM-UNSE), Santiago del Estero, Argentina
- Facultad de Agronomía y Agroindustrias (FAyA-UNSE), Santiago del Estero, Argentina
| | - Pedro G Carranza
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Inmunología y Microbiología (LaBIM), Instituto Multidisciplinario de Salud, Tecnología y Desarrollo (IMSaTeD), CONICET-UNSE, Santiago del Estero, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (FCM-UNSE), Santiago del Estero, Argentina
- Facultad de Agronomía y Agroindustrias (FAyA-UNSE), Santiago del Estero, Argentina
| | - Veronica M Coceres
- Laboratorio de Parásitos Anaerobios, Instituto Tecnológico Chascomús (INTECH), CONICET-UNSAM, B7130IWA, Chascomús, Argentina.
- Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías (UNSAM), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Fernando D Rivero
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Inmunología y Microbiología (LaBIM), Instituto Multidisciplinario de Salud, Tecnología y Desarrollo (IMSaTeD), CONICET-UNSE, Santiago del Estero, Argentina.
- Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (FCM-UNSE), Santiago del Estero, Argentina.
- Facultad de Agronomía y Agroindustrias (FAyA-UNSE), Santiago del Estero, Argentina.
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Loy DS, Spuri Gomes R, Dutta E, Brodersen BW, Loy JD. Time and temperature stability of Tritrichomonas foetus in phosphate-buffered saline as evaluated by a reverse transcription real-time PCR assay and field analysis. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1101502. [PMID: 37065215 PMCID: PMC10098177 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1101502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Tritrichomonas foetus (TF) is a significant reproductive pathogen of cattle, and sample collection, handling, transport, and testing are significant hurdles to surveillance programs. Recent methods have been developed that allow for the direct detection of TF using a reverse transcription real-time PCR (direct RT-qPCR) approach. To evaluate these methods, a comparative analysis was conducted to assess the technical performance of this assay with a commercially available real-time PCR (qPCR) assay. In addition, the evaluation of two types of collection media (PBS and TF transport tube) was conducted that evaluated sample stability from 0 to 3 days when stored at 4°C or 25°C. Extended incubation times for PBS media were also evaluated (5, 7, and 14 days) at both refrigeration and frozen temperatures to evaluate the effect of extended transport time on samples. Limits of detection (LODs), dynamic range, and RNA stability were assessed using lab-cultured TF spiked into samples of normal bovine smegma collected in PBS or TF transport media, and performance was assessed on field samples collected in parallel. 100% agreement was found between direct RT-qPCR and qPCR at 10 parasites/extraction and a LOD of 1 parasite/extraction. Differences in detection were not observed in either collection media when incubated at either temperatures for up to 3 days of incubation. In addition, the extended incubation experiments indicate that samples containing 10 parasites/extraction can be detected at 4°C for 5 days with a mean Cq 26.34 (95% CI: 23.11–29.58) and detected at −20°C for 7 or 14 days, with a mean Cq 29.55 (95% CI: 27.73–31.37). A significant decrease in detectable RNA was observed in samples containing <10 parasites/extraction at −20°C for 14 days, which should be considered for long-term storage. In summary, direct RT-qPCR was found to be equivalent or superior to qPCR and PBS was not significantly different from TF transport media. The findings of the current study allows for more flexibility during sample collection and transport and ultimately enhancement of TF surveillance programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duan S. Loy
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States
- *Correspondence: Duan S. Loy
| | - Renata Spuri Gomes
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States
| | - Enakshy Dutta
- Department of Statistics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States
| | - Bruce W. Brodersen
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States
| | - John Dustin Loy
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States
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Schroeder ME, Meza D, Shah R, Leyva-Baca I, Conrad R, Ferro PJ. Detection of Tritrichomonas foetus by RT-rtPCR in pooled bovine preputial washings. J Vet Diagn Invest 2023; 35:178-181. [PMID: 36625397 PMCID: PMC9999391 DOI: 10.1177/10406387221149407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Trichomonosis is a venereal disease of cattle caused by the protozoan Tritrichomonas foetus. T. foetus infection in cattle herds can be economically costly for cattle producers; therefore, testing is important for detection of the agent. Given that bulls are considered to be subclinical carriers of T. foetus, it is important to detect T. foetus infection prior to movement and/or breeding season. We have described previously the development of an updated set of PCR primers and probes that offer increased sensitivity of T. foetus detection in preputial washings collected in PBS by utilizing reverse-transcription real-time PCR (RT-rtPCR) that targets the 5.8S ribosomal RNA of the T. foetus organism. Here, we report improvements in the updated RT-rtPCR reagents as well as the evaluation of testing of pooled preputial washings. We found that up to 5 preputial washings can be pooled, similar to routine testing practices (InPouch culture), without reducing the sensitivity of detection of T. foetus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E. Schroeder
- Molecular Diagnostics, Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, College Station, TX, USA
| | | | - Rohan Shah
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | | | - Pamela J. Ferro
- Molecular Diagnostics, Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, College Station, TX, USA
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Akter R, El-Hage CM, Sansom FM, Carrick J, Devlin JM, Legione AR. Metagenomic investigation of potential abortigenic pathogens in foetal tissues from Australian horses. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:713. [PMID: 34600470 PMCID: PMC8487468 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-08010-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Abortion in horses leads to economic and welfare losses to the equine industry. Most cases of equine abortions are sporadic, and the cause is often unknown. This study aimed to detect potential abortigenic pathogens in equine abortion cases in Australia using metagenomic deep sequencing methods. RESULTS After sequencing and analysis, a total of 68 and 86 phyla were detected in the material originating from 49 equine abortion samples and 8 samples from normal deliveries, respectively. Most phyla were present in both groups, with the exception of Chlamydiae that were only present in abortion samples. Around 2886 genera were present in the abortion samples and samples from normal deliveries at a cut off value of 0.001% of relative abundance. Significant differences in species diversity between aborted and normal tissues was observed. Several potential abortigenic pathogens were identified at a high level of relative abundance in a number of the abortion cases, including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus, Pantoea agglomerans, Acinetobacter lwoffii, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and Chlamydia psittaci. CONCLUSIONS This work revealed the presence of several potentially abortigenic pathogens in aborted specimens. No novel potential abortigenic agents were detected. The ability to screen samples for multiple pathogens that may not have been specifically targeted broadens the frontiers of diagnostic potential. The future use of metagenomic approaches for diagnostic purposes is likely to be facilitated by further improvements in deep sequencing technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rumana Akter
- Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health, The Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
- Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Charles M El-Hage
- Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health, The Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Fiona M Sansom
- Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health, The Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Joan Carrick
- Equine Specialist Consulting, Scone, New South Wales, 2337, Australia
| | - Joanne M Devlin
- Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health, The Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Alistair R Legione
- Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health, The Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia.
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Bastos BF, Almeida FMD, Brener B. What is known about Tritrichomonas foetus infection in cats? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 28:1-11. [PMID: 30892464 DOI: 10.1590/s1984-29612019005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Tritrichomonas foetus is a parasite that has been definitively identified as an agent of trichomonosis, a disease characterized by chronic diarrhea. T. foetus colonizes portions of the feline large intestine, and manifests as chronic and recurrent diarrhea with mucus and fresh blood, which is often unresponsive to common drugs. Diagnosis of a trichomonad infection is made by either the demonstration of the trophozoite on a direct fecal smear, fecal culture and subsequent microscopic examination of the parasite, or extraction of DNA in feces and amplification by the use of molecular tools. T. foetus is commonly misidentified as other flagellate protozoa such as Giardia duodenalis and Pentatrichomonas hominis. Without proper treatment, the diarrhea may resolve spontaneously in months to years, but cats can remain carriers of the parasite. This paper intends to serve as a source of information for investigators and veterinarians, reviewing the most important aspects of feline trichomonosis, such as trichomonad history, biology, clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, world distribution, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethânia Ferreira Bastos
- Departamento de Clínica e Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense - UFF, Niterói, RJ, Brasil
| | - Flavya Mendes de Almeida
- Departamento de Clínica e Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense - UFF, Niterói, RJ, Brasil
| | - Beatriz Brener
- Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense - UFF, Niterói, RJ, Brasil
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Ginter Summarell CC, Hairgrove TB, Schroeder ME, Conley R, Bounpheng MA. Improvements in Tritrichomonas foetus molecular testing. J Vet Diagn Invest 2018; 30:603-608. [PMID: 29633923 PMCID: PMC6505897 DOI: 10.1177/1040638718767943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Bovine trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted disease that results in infertility, abortion, and calf age variability. To date, management strategies include testing for Tritrichomonas foetus and culling of infected males. Challenges associated with testing include cost of culture medium, time and labor burden of sample incubation and processing, and adverse effects of bacterial growth on detection sensitivity. To overcome these challenges, we developed a direct reverse-transcription quantitative real-time PCR (direct RT-qPCR) utilizing smegma, eliminating the use of culture medium. In an analysis of 166 field samples (56 positives and 110 negatives as determined using microscopic reading of cultures as the reference test), the direct RT-qPCR exhibited 100% diagnostic sensitivity and 100% specificity, whereas the currently employed qPCR (culture qPCR), which utilizes cultured samples, exhibited 95% diagnostic sensitivity and 100% specificity. Agreement between direct RT-qPCR and culture qPCR was 98%. Moreover, direct RT-qPCR identified 3 more positive samples and exhibited lower quantification cycle (Cq) values among positives by culture reading than did culture qPCR (direct RT-qPCR Cq range = 14.6-32.3 vs. culture qPCR Cq range = 18.7-37.4). The direct RT-qPCR enables simplified sample collection, elimination of culture medium, faster results, applicability in cows, and lower cost than culture qPCR.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Megan E. Schroeder
- Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic
Laboratory, College Station, TX (Ginter Summarell, Schroeder, Bounpheng)
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M AgriLife
Extension Service, College Station, TX (Hairgrove)
- Conley Veterinary Services, Main Street Veterinary
Clinic, Vernon, TX (Conley)
| | - Robert Conley
- Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic
Laboratory, College Station, TX (Ginter Summarell, Schroeder, Bounpheng)
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M AgriLife
Extension Service, College Station, TX (Hairgrove)
- Conley Veterinary Services, Main Street Veterinary
Clinic, Vernon, TX (Conley)
| | - Mangkey A. Bounpheng
- Mangkey A. Bounpheng, Texas
A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, 483 Agronomy, College Station,
TX 77840.
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Alling C, Rae DO, Ma X, Neumann L, Lollis LG, Steele E, Yelvington J, Naikare HK, Walden HS, Crews J, Boughton R. Systemic humoral immunity in beef bulls following therapeutic vaccination against Tritrichomonas foetus. Vet Parasitol 2018; 255:69-73. [PMID: 29773139 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2018.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2017] [Revised: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/30/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The utility of therapeutic vaccination of bulls against Tritrichomonas foetus has been advocated in previous studies, but anecdotal reports suggest this practice does not clear infections and may additionally confound diagnostic testing by reducing parasite burdens below detectable limits. The objective of this study was to characterize the systemic humoral immune response to therapeutic vaccination in T. foetus-infected bulls over a period of four months using an indirect ELISA and to compare the dynamics of this response to culture and PCR results to establish the existence of a relationship (or lack thereof) between immunization and infection status. A study population of 4- to 6-year-old T. foetus-infected beef bulls (n = 20) was divided equally into a treatment group and a control group. The treatment group received two doses of commercially prepared whole cell killed vaccine 2 weeks apart while the control group received injections of vaccine diluent. Blood samples were collected at each injection and at 4 subsequent dates every 4 weeks thereafter (i.e. 0, 2, 6, 10, 14, and 18 wks) to measure IgG1 and IgG2 antibody subisotype response via an indirect ELISA. Preputial smegma samples were collected at the four monthly intervals following vaccination for diagnosis of infection via InPouch™ culture, Modified Diamond's Medium (MDM) culture, and PCR. Humoral response for both IgG isotypes from week 2 through week 18 were significantly increased in vaccinates compared to controls. No significant decrease in infection prevalence was detected in the treatment group for any of the diagnostic methods used. The apparent lack of pathogen clearance during a stimulated immune response suggests that therapeutic vaccination may not be a useful T. foetus management practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Alling
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 100136, 2015 SW 16th Ave, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States.
| | - D Owen Rae
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 100136, 2015 SW 16th Ave, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States.
| | - Xiaojie Ma
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 100136, 2015 SW 16th Ave, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States
| | - Laura Neumann
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 100136, 2015 SW 16th Ave, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States
| | - L Gene Lollis
- MacArthur Agro-Ecology Research Center, 350 Buck Island Ranch Rd, Lake Placid, FL, 33862, United States
| | - Elizabeth Steele
- Steele Equine Veterinary Services, 7713 State Road 64 E, Zolfo Springs, FL, 33890, United States
| | - John Yelvington
- Ridge Large Animal Services, 7713 State Road 64 E, Zolfo Springs, FL, 33890, United States
| | - Hemant K Naikare
- Tifton Veterinary Diagnostic & Investigational Laboratory, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine, 43 Brighton Road, Tifton, GA, 31793, United States
| | - Heather Stockdale Walden
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 110880, 1945 SW 16th Ave, Gainesville, FL, 32611, United States
| | - John Crews
- Division of Animal Industry, Florida Bureau of Animal Disease Control, 500 3rd St NW, Winter Haven, FL, 33881, United States
| | - Raoul Boughton
- Department of Wildlife, Ecology, and Conservation, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Range Cattle Research and Education Center, 3401 Experiment Station, Ona, FL, 33865, United States.
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Vidal S, Kegler K, Posthaus H, Perreten V, Rodriguez-Campos S. Amplicon sequencing of bacterial microbiota in abortion material from cattle. Vet Res 2017; 48:64. [PMID: 29017611 PMCID: PMC5633877 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-017-0470-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Abortions in cattle have a significant economic impact on animal husbandry and require prompt diagnosis for surveillance of epizootic infectious agents. Since most abortions are not epizootic but sporadic with often undetected etiologies, this study examined the bacterial community present in the placenta (PL, n = 32) and fetal abomasal content (AC, n = 49) in 64 cases of bovine abortion by next generation sequencing (NGS) of the 16S rRNA gene. The PL and AC from three fetuses of dams that died from non-infectious reasons were included as controls. All samples were analyzed by bacterial culture, and 17 were examined by histopathology. We observed 922 OTUs overall and 267 taxa at the genus level. No detectable bacterial DNA was present in the control samples. The microbial profiles of the PL and AC differed significantly, both in their composition (PERMANOVA), species richness and Chao-1 (Mann-Whitney test). In both organs, Pseudomonas was the most abundant genus. The combination of NGS and culture identified opportunistic pathogens of interest in placentas with lesions, such as Vibrio metschnikovii, Streptococcus uberis, Lactococcus lactis and Escherichia coli. In placentas with lesions where culturing was unsuccessful, Pseudomonas and unidentified Aeromonadaceae were identified by NGS displaying high number of reads. Three cases with multiple possible etiologies and placentas presenting lesions were detected by NGS. Amplicon sequencing has the potential to uncover unknown etiological agents. These new insights on cattle abortion extend our focus to previously understudied opportunistic abortive bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Vidal
- Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Laenggassstrasse 122, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.,Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, Theodor Kocher Institute, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 1, 3001, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Kristel Kegler
- Institute of Animal Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Laenggassstrasse 122, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Horst Posthaus
- Institute of Animal Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Laenggassstrasse 122, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Vincent Perreten
- Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Laenggassstrasse 122, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sabrina Rodriguez-Campos
- Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Laenggassstrasse 122, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.
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9
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Okafor CC, Strickland LG, Jones BM, Kania S, Anderson DE, Whitlock BK. Prevalence of Tritrichomonas foetus in tennessee bulls. Vet Parasitol 2017; 243:169-175. [PMID: 28807288 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2017.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2017] [Revised: 06/11/2017] [Accepted: 06/25/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The prevalence of bovine trichomonosis (BT) in TN bulls was estimated through both active screening of bulls and review of previous laboratory records. During the active bull screening, preputial smegma specimens were collected from 458 TN beef bulls at 2 cattle slaughterhouses and 2 stockyards, which serve most beef bulls in TN, between March 2014 and June 2015. Each specimen was cultured for Tritrichomonas foetus (T. foetus) as well as evaluated microscopically every other day for seven days for any protozoa resembling T. foetus. An aliquot of the culture media from each specimen was used for DNA extraction and subsequent qPCR testing. Two specimens were considered suspect on microscopic evaluation, but all specimens were negative for T. foetus on qPCR. This suggests that the 2 specimens were most likely contaminated by fecal trichomonads. Retrospectively, 1979 T. foetus test records from 2 major TN diagnostic laboratories were reviewed between October 2013 and September 2016. True prevalence of BT in TN beef bulls was estimated at <0.01% from the laboratory records, although the county prevalence differed in 2 TN counties (Marshal: 0.09% and Bedford: 0.5%). Overall, the prevalence of BT in TN is low, and the current screening efforts to help control BT disease in TN are acceptable. Future efforts should focus on educating cattle stakeholders on the importance of optimal specimen collection and handling as well as routine testing for BT before cattle movement. In addition, cattle producers should be reminded of leading risk factors associated with BT in cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chika C Okafor
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Tennessee, 2407 River Dr., Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
| | - Lew G Strickland
- Department of Animal Science, University of Tennessee, 2506 River Dr., Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; College of Veterinary Medicine, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee, 2407 River Dr., Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
| | - Brittni M Jones
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee, 2407 River Dr., Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
| | - Stephen Kania
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Tennessee, 2407 River Dr., Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
| | - David E Anderson
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee, 2407 River Dr., Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
| | - Brian K Whitlock
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee, 2407 River Dr., Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
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10
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Abstract
Bovine trichomoniasis has been recognized as a pathogen of the bovine reproductive tract for nearly 100 years. Although characteristics of the causative organism, Tritrichomonas foetus lend to control and there are examples of disease eradication, cattle producers are still faced with this disease. This article highlights the clinical presentation, magnitude of effect, risk factors, epidemiology, and sample collection and suggests applications in developing herd-level control measures for beef cattle producers including testing strategies for control, testing strategies for surveillance, strategies to eliminate trichomoniasis from infected herds, and strategies for prevention in uninfected herds.
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11
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Santos CSD, Jesus VLTD, McIntosh D, Berto BP, Lopes CWG. Co-infection by Tritrichomonas foetus and Pentatrichomonas hominis in asymptomatic cats. PESQUISA VETERINARIA BRASILEIRA 2015. [DOI: 10.1590/s0100-736x2015001200007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Abstract: Tritrichomonas foetus, a parasite well known for its significance as a venereally transmitted pathogen in cattle, has been identified as a cause of chronic large bowel diarrhea in domestic cats in many countries of the world. In Brazil, several studies on the diagnosis of bovine trichomoniasis have been performed, but until now, no study was made regarding feline trichomoniasis. Thus, this is the first study to report the occurrence of T. foetus and Pentatrichomonas hominis in cats using morphological and molecular analysis. Feces from 77 cats were examined, four of which (5.2%) were positive for the presence of parabasalids. Morphological analysis of stained smears revealed piriform trophozoites showing the three anterior flagella, elongated nucleus and axostyle ending abruptly in fillet, characteristic of T. foetus. In scanning and transmission electron microscopy, identification characters similar to those previously reported for T. foetus were observed. The cultures containing trophozoites were submitted for molecular analysis, which resulted positive for T. foetus DNA using specific primers (TFR3 and TFR4), and all samples were positive and subjected to sequencing in which they showed 99.7-100% similarity with another isolate sequencing of T. foetus (JX960422). Although no trophozoite with consistent morphology of P. hominis has been visualized in the samples, differential diagnosis was performed using specific primers for P. hominis (TH3 and TH5) amplicon. In three of the four samples (3.89%) sequencing revealed 100% similarity when compared with another sequence of P. hominis deposited in Genbank (KC623939). Therefore, the present study revealed through the diagnostic techniques employed the simultaneous infection by T. foetus and P. hominis in the feces of cats. However, it was necessary to use more than one technique for the diagnosis of the co-infection. These results demonstrate the importance of a correct diagnosis to allow an appropriate treatment by the veterinarian.
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