Tritrichomonas foetus infections in female beef cattle with abortion in Wyoming, USA

Abstract

Introduction: Bovine trichomoniasis has been endemic in the USA since its discovery in the 1930s. Testing of bulls used for reproduction is currently mandated in 26 states to control spread of the disease. Although individual head prevalence in Wyoming has decreased since 2000 when the state's regulation started, the herd prevalence remains steady and the disease continues to have a wide geographic distribution. One factor neglected in current regulations is the role of infected cows/heifers in transmission. The latter may harbour Tritrichomonas foetus, the causative organism, up to a few weeks post‐abortion/parturition. This capacity enables them to spread the disease in spite of extensive bull testing. Case presentation: The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence among Wyoming beef cattle of detectable T. foetus infection in cows/heifers with a history of abortion for which samples had been tested. This retrospective study included all submissions to the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory between 2000 and 2010. Cows/heifers with a history of abortion among Wyoming producers were tested for trichomoniasis. Overall prevalence was 9.7 %. Furthermore, 4.5 % of aborted foetuses were positive. Conclusion: Our data collectively demonstrates that a percentage of cows/heifers that recently experienced abortion are positive for T. foetus and may play an important role in maintaining endemicity of bovine trichomoniasis.

Bovine Trichomoniasis

“…Hence, control of the disease is not unified at the federal level, leading to the enactment of different regulations among states (Martin et al 2021). Twenty-six states had trichomoniasis control/management program regulations in place to curtail the spread of this disease as of 1 April 2014 (Yao 2015). The herd size and bull:cow ratio are vital for infection prevalence (Mardones et al 2008).…”

Draft Genome Sequence of Trichomonas tenax Strain Hs-4:NIH

“… T. tenax cells (ATCC 30207; ATCC, Manassas, VA, USA) were cultured in Diamond’s medium as described previously ( 9 – 12 ). Briefly, they were incubated at 35°C for 5 days in a round-bottomed Falcon 14-mL tube (Fisher Scientific, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) filled with 13 mL Diamond’s medium supplemented with 10% horse serum (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) plus 100 U/mL ampicillin and 100 μg/mL streptomycin (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA).…”

Clinical isolates of Tritrichomonas foetus in bulls in Wyoming, South Dakota and Montana, USA

“…The transferring between buildings on campus took a maximum of 30 min. They were cultured immediately in Diamond's medium as previously described [27]. Briefly, the original clinical cultures were diluted in three to four 50 ml conical tubes filled with 50 ml Diamond's medium at a starting cell density of 1 × 10 4 cells/ml and were incubated vertically in 37°C without agitation.…”