Persistence of Two Trichomonas gallinae Isolates in Chlorinated and Distilled Water With or Without Organic Material

Abstract

Trichomonas gallinae is a protozoan parasite commonly found in columbids, passerines, and raptors. In passerines and columbids, trichomonosis causes significant morbidity and mortality associated with contaminated bird feeders and waters. However, there has been little work on the persistence of T. gallinae in water to determine if artificial waters are a likely source of infection for naive birds. To examine drinking water as a source of T. gallinae transmission, we inoculated 1 x 10(6) trichomonads into containers with 500 ml of either distilled or chlorinated water. In addition, we inoculated the same number of trichomonads in distilled or chlorinated water contaminated with 15 g organic matter. Aliquots of 0.5 ml were collected from each container at 0, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, or 20 min; inoculated into a Trichomonas culture packet; and incubated at 37 C for 6 days. Survival was best in the presence of organic matter, with either distilled or chlorinated water. Uncontaminated chlorinated water did not allow survival at any sampling period.

What is the importance of zoonotic trichomonads for human health?

“…Additionally, given recent prevalence and transmission data it seems unlikely that transmission from non-human hosts represents a significant proportion of infections. Contaminated surfaces and water [83], uncooked meat, or direct contact with pets and farm animals could lead to animal-to-human transmissions of trichomonads. Initial infections were presumably through the digestive tract (via oral ingestion) with further progression to the lungs for some (various) species or the urogenital tract (T. vaginalis).…”

Molecular characterization ofTrichomonas gallinaeisolates recovered from the Canadian Maritime provinces’ wild avifauna reveals the presence of the genotype responsible for the European finch trichomonosis epidemic and additional strains

“…In the present study, T. gallinae was not detected in water collected from sites where trichomonosis mortalities were occurring. This was surprising given that Bunbury et al (2007) were successful in recovering T. gallinae from puddles and Gerhold et al (2013) found that T. gallinae was able to survive for up to 20 minutes in both distilled and chlorinated water when organic matter (detritus, leaves and soil) was present. One caveat to our water sampling success was that property owners undergoing bird mortalities in their backyards became more diligent in cleaning feeders and waterers.…”

Molecular detection and genetic characterization of Trichomonas gallinae in falcons in Saudi Arabia

“…The main route of transmission of T . gallinae between birds includes the feeding of squabs by an adult, normal feeding via courtship billing during nesting, sharing contaminated food or water sources, and via predation and necrophagy from raptors in the wild [ 9 , 10 ]. Trichomonas gallinae in captive falcons in Saudi Arabia and Middle East seem to be related to the traditional Arabian falconry practices of training falcons using live or freshly domestic pigeons [ 11 , 12 ].…”