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Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery logoLink to Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery
. 2010 Oct 1;12(10):831–833. doi: 10.1016/j.jfms.2010.05.010

Detection of Tritrichomonas foetus in cats in Greece

Panagiotis G Xenoulis 1, Manolis N Saridomichelakis 2, Sarah A Read 3, Jan S Suchodolski 4, Jörg M Steiner 5
PMCID: PMC11135515  PMID: 20674428

Abstract

Intestinal infection of cats with Tritrichomonas foetus has been reported in the USA, Canada, several European countries, and Australia. However, T foetus has not been previously reported in cats in Greece. The aim of this study was to test fecal samples from cats living in Greece for the presence of T foetus DNA. Feces were collected from 31 cats living in Greece. DNA was extracted from the fecal samples and the presence of T foetus DNA was detected by a single-tube nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). T foetus specific DNA was detected in the feces of 6/30 (20.0%) cats. All six cats were reported to have normal fecal quality at the time of sample collection and five of them were adults. The present study confirms for the first time the presence of T foetus in cats in Greece and suggests that T foetus infection is often asymptomatic in older cats.

Contributor Information

Panagiotis G. Xenoulis, Gastrointestinal Laboratory, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4474 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA  pxenoulis@cvm.tamu.edu

Manolis N. Saridomichelakis, Clinic of Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece

Sarah A. Read, Gastrointestinal Laboratory, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4474 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA

Jan S. Suchodolski, Gastrointestinal Laboratory, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4474 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA

Jörg M. Steiner, Gastrointestinal Laboratory, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4474 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA

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