First Report of Feline Intestinal Trichomoniasis Caused by Tritrichomonas foetus in Korea

• Published in: Korean journal of parasitology Vol. 48; no. 3; pp. 247 - 251
• Main Authors: Lim, S., Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea, Park, S.I., Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA, Ahn, K.S., Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea, Oh, D.S., Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea, Ryu, J.S., Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea, Shin, S.S., Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) 대한기생충학열대의학회 01-09-2010; The Korean Society for Parasitology
• Subjects: Animals; Base Sequence; Case Report; Cat Diseases - parasitology; CATS; CHAT; clinical case; DIARREA; DIARRHEE; DIARRHOEA; Feces - parasitology; Female; GATO; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic - parasitology; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic - veterinary; Male; Molecular Sequence Data; Protozoan Infections, Animal - parasitology; Republic of Korea; TRITRICHOMONAS FOETUS; Tritrichomonas foetus - genetics; Tritrichomonas foetus - isolation & purification; Republic of Korea; clinical case; diarrhea; cat; Tritrichomonas foetus
• ISSN: 0023-4001; 1738-0006
• DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2010.48.3.247

Feline intestinal tritrichomoniasis by Tritrichomonas foetus was first recognized in USA in 1999 and has so far been reported from UK, Norway, Switzerland, and Australia, but not from the Far East Asian countries. In November 2008, 2 female and male littermate Siamese cats, 6-month old, raised in a household in Korea were referred from a local veterinary clinic with a history of chronic persistent diarrhea. A direct smear examination of fecal specimens revealed numerous trichomonad trophozoites which were isolated by the fecal culture in InPouch∨TM TF-Feline medium. A PCR testing of the isolate based on the amplification of a conserved portion of the T. foetus internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions (ITS1 and ITS2) and the 5.8S rRNA gene, and the molecular sequencing of the PCR amplicons confirmed infection with T. foetus. This is the first clinical case of feline intestinal trichomoniasis caused by T. foetus in Korea.