Pentatrichomonas hominis infection in two domestic cats with chronic diarrhea

Abstract

Case series summaryChronic diarrhea is a common and recurring problem in feline medicine. Intestinal trichomonads have been reported as causative agents of diarrhea in cats. While Pentatrichomonas hominis is considered commensal, Tritrichomonas foetus has been found to cause feline large bowel diarrhea in cats. In our report, two young cats infected with the feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and presenting with chronic diarrhea were identified as having trichomonads in their feces, based on direct examination and fecal culture. Molecular assays (PCR and DNA sequencing) revealed that the parasite involved was P hominis, not T foetus, as was suspected. The animals had already been subjected to ineffective therapy with metronidazole, and after the use of ronidazole, their feces became dry and formed.Relevance and novel informationThis case report describes P hominis infection as a possible cause of chronic diarrhea in two young cats also infected by FeLV. The parasite was probably resistant to metronidazole, the drug of choice in the literature, and sensitive to ronidazole. Although considered commensal, P hominis infection should be evaluated as a differential diagnosis in cats with chronic diarrhea, especially those that are immunocompromised. Moreover, a combination of techniques such as direct examination and/or fecal culture and PCR is essential for an accurate diagnosis of P hominis infection.

Molecular prevalence of trichomonad species from pet shop puppies and kittens in Japan

“…Corresponding with the present results, the previous reports demonstrated that P. hominis and T. foetus infections were dominant for dogs and cats, respectively (Bastos et al, 2019;Grellet et al, 2013;Li et al, 2016aLi et al, , 2019Maritz et al, 2014). In addition, P. hominis was sometimes isolated from cats, but T. foetus infection was determined in cats, and it was markedly rare in dogs (Bastos et al, 2018;Gookin et al, 2007;Li et al, 2016aLi et al, , 2019). To our knowledge, in the last decade, there were no available investigations for trichomonad infections, targeting the pet shop puppies and kittens.…”

“…In agreement with the present results, P. hominis infection was commonly presumed to be asymptomatic in dogs and cats (Maritz et al, 2014). However, it has been recently suggested that this organism has the potential for diarrhea in dogs, cats, and humans (Bastos et al, 2018;Kim et al, 2010;Meloni et al, 2011;Zhang et al, 2019). Especially, in humans under the suppressive immune system (e.g., children and adult patients with cancer), P. hominis has been implicated as a causative agent of diarrhea (Meloni et al, 2011;Zhang et al, 2019).…”

“…In general, P. hominis is considered as non-pathogenic opportunistic protozoa in many kinds of mammals including dog, cats, and humans (Maritz et al, 2014). However, some previous reports suggest an association of P. hominis infection with the occurrence of diarrhea (Bastos et al, 2018;Kim et al, 2010;Meloni et al, 2011;Zhang et al, 2019). In addition, the dogs and cats infected with P. hominis have the potential as reservoir for zoonotic transmission.…”

High prevalence of Pentatrichomonas hominis infection in gastrointestinal cancer patients

“…We further identified that the sequence KJ404269 is identical with MG015711 and MF991102 isolated from cats and goats, respectively (Fig. 2) [25, 49]. Additionally, the ITS sequences obtained were homologous to the reference strain KJ404270.1 isolated from a dog [48].…”

Meta-taxonomic analysis of prokaryotic and eukaryotic gut flora in stool samples from visceral leishmaniasis cases and endemic controls in Bihar State India

“…P . hominis has been associated with chronic diarrhoea and/or inflammatory bowel disease in animals [56], nonhuman primates [57] and humans [58], and is found in 14% of pregnant women in Papua New Guinea. In our study affected VL cases had higher abundance of P .…”