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Parasitology Research Dec 2023Pentatrichomonas hominis (P. hominis) is a zoonotic parasite that affects a wide range of hosts, causing gastrointestinal diseases. The present study aimed to evaluate...
Pentatrichomonas hominis (P. hominis) is a zoonotic parasite that affects a wide range of hosts, causing gastrointestinal diseases. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of P. hominis among caged foxes and raccoon dogs and the effect of P. hominis on the gut microbiota in female foxes. A total of 893 fresh fecal samples were collected from the Hebei and Henan Provinces in China. P. hominis was screened based on 18S rRNA gene expression via nested PCR. The difference in the gut microbiota between nine P. hominis-positive and nine P. hominis-negative samples was investigated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The total prevalence of P. hominis infection in foxes and raccoon dogs was 31.7% (283/893). The prevalence rates of P. hominis infection were 28.2% (88/312) and 33.6% (195/581) in foxes and raccoon dogs, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all P. hominis strains detected in foxes and raccoon dogs in the present study were the zoonotic genotype CC1. Moreover, compared with those in the P. hominis-negative group, the diversity of the gut microbiota in the P. hominis-positive group was lower, and the abundance of Firmicutes and the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) in the P. hominis-positive group were lower than those in the P. hominis-negative group. We speculate that these differences may be due to indigestion and diarrhea in infected female foxes. Overall, the present study evaluated the prevalence of P. hominis in foxes and raccoon dogs in the Henan and Hebei Provinces and revealed that P. hominis infection interrupted the diversity of the gut microbiota in female foxes.
Topics: Animals; Female; Raccoon Dogs; Foxes; Prevalence; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Phylogeny; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Trichomonas; China
PubMed: 38155301
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-08099-5 -
BMC Veterinary Research Jun 2021Pentatrichomonas hominis inhabits the digestive tracts of several vertebrates, such as humans, monkeys, pigs, dogs, cats and rats. This protozoan was originally...
BACKGROUND
Pentatrichomonas hominis inhabits the digestive tracts of several vertebrates, such as humans, monkeys, pigs, dogs, cats and rats. This protozoan was originally considered a commensal of the digestive tract but has subsequently been identified as a potential zoonotic parasite and a causative agent of diarrhoea. Molecular techniques are considered more sensitive and specific to detect P. hominis. This study aimed to determine the presence and genetic diversity of P. hominis in animals in Thailand. A total of 403 faecal samples were collected from 119 cats, 55 dogs, 73 goats, 35 monkeys, 55 cattle and 66 pigs, and the presence of P. hominis was determined using the nested polymerase chain reaction method. Sequence analysis of small-subunit ribosomal RNA genes was used to determine the genotype of the organism.
RESULTS
Twenty-six samples (26/403, 6.45%) were positive for P. hominis. The highest prevalence was found in cats (21/119; 17.65%), followed by cattle (3/55; 5.45%) and dogs (2/55; 3.64%). Seven out of 26 nucleotides demonstrated 100% sequence identity with existing sequences; additionally, 16 novel sequence patterns were identified. All nucleotide sequences of P. hominis-positive samples were shown in the same branch with the previously described P. hominis sequences found in humans, dogs and goat.
CONCLUSION
This is the first study on P. hominis infections in animals in Thailand. Our findings revealed that the prevalence of P. hominis was significantly higher in cats than in cattle and dogs. Cats were the main reservoir host; however, P. hominis can infect several kinds of animals. Therefore, the proper waste management of animals is necessary to reduce and prevent infection in the community.
Topics: Animals; Cats; Cattle; Cercopithecidae; Dogs; Goats; Phylogeny; Prevalence; Protozoan Infections, Animal; Swine; Thailand; Trichomonadida
PubMed: 34078384
DOI: 10.1186/s12917-021-02904-y -
Experimental Animals 2015Trichomonadid protozoa have been found in the intestinal tracts of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). However, there is little information available on species...
Trichomonadid protozoa have been found in the intestinal tracts of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). However, there is little information available on species identification and the pathogenicity of these trichomonads. In this study, we conducted a fecal survey of a common marmoset colony maintained as laboratory animals in Japan and identified the trichomonad species. Screening using a fecal smear examination revealed that 66% (58/88) of the marmosets had trichomonadid trophozoites in their feces. The trichomonads were found in both normal feces (31/49, 63%) and diarrhea (27/39, 69%), with no significant difference in frequency. The protozoa were identified as Pentatrichomonas hominis using morphological characters and the 100% identity of the nucleotide sequence of the partial 18S rRNA gene (297 bp). The intraspecific genetic variability between P. hominis from the marmosets in this study and P. hominis from other reported mammal hosts was ≤1% in the nucleotide sequence, including the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-1, 5.8S rRNA gene, and ITS-2 (293 bp). P. hominis inhabits the large intestine of various mammalian hosts, including primates, and is considered nonpathogenic. These results suggest that P. hominis is transmitted among marmosets and other mammals but is not a primary cause of bowel disease in marmosets.
Topics: Animals; Animals, Laboratory; Base Sequence; Callithrix; Feces; Female; Genes, Protozoan; Genes, rRNA; Intestines; Japan; Male; Monkey Diseases; Protozoan Infections, Animal; Trichomonadida
PubMed: 26156572
DOI: 10.1538/expanim.15-0010 -
Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia... 2022The parabasalid Pentatrichomonas hominis is generally considered to represent a symbiotic component of the gastrointestinal microbiota in a wide variety of vertebrate...
The parabasalid Pentatrichomonas hominis is generally considered to represent a symbiotic component of the gastrointestinal microbiota in a wide variety of vertebrate hosts including humans. Nevertheless, a limited number of studies have raised the possibility that it may act as a pathogen of humans, dogs, and pigs and that some human infections may have a zoonotic origin. Data from North America revealed an association between P. hominis and the bovine urogenital tract, principally in bulls and rarely in cows. The importance of this observation is linked to possible interference in the accurate diagnosis of the economically important venereal pathogen Tritrichomonas foetus. The current study employed culture-based and molecular methods to examine the preputial cavities of four breeding bulls, raised in open pasture in southeastern Brazil, for the presence of trichomonads. Motile protozoa were isolated from three of the bulls and were definitively identified as P. hominis based on nucleotide sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplicons derived from the ribosomal RNA operon (ITS1-5.8S rDNA-ITS2) of the parasite. The potential implications of these findings for bovine and human health are discussed.
Topics: Animals; Brazil; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Female; Male; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Swine; Swine Diseases; Trichomonas; Tritrichomonas foetus
PubMed: 35792757
DOI: 10.1590/S1984-29612022034 -
Parasites & Vectors Aug 2019Pentatrichomonas hominis is a flagellated protozoan that inhabits the large intestine of humans. Although several protozoans have been proposed to have a role in cancer...
BACKGROUND
Pentatrichomonas hominis is a flagellated protozoan that inhabits the large intestine of humans. Although several protozoans have been proposed to have a role in cancer progression, little is known about the epidemiology of P. hominis infection in cancer patients.
METHODS
To determine the prevalence of P. hominis in patients with digestive system malignancies, we collected 195 and 142 fecal samples from gastrointestinal cancer patients and residents without any complaints related to the digestive system, respectively. Each sample was detected for the presence of P. hominis by nested PCR amplifying the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and partial 18S rRNA gene.
RESULTS
A significantly higher prevalence of P. hominis was found in cancer patients than that in the control population (41.54 vs 9.15%, χ = 42.84, df = 1, P < 0.001), resulting in a 6.75-fold risk of gastrointestinal cancers (OR: 6.75, 95% CI: 3.55-12.83, P < 0.001). The highest prevalence of P. hominis infection was detected in small intestine cancer patients (60%, OR: 14.88, 95% CI: 0.82-4.58, P = 0.009) followed by liver (57.14%, χ = 10.82, df = 1, P = 0.001) and stomach cancer patients (45.1%, χ = 31.95, df = 1, P < 0.001). In addition, phylogenetic analysis provided some evidence supporting that human P. hominis infection might derive from animal sources.
CONCLUSIONS
To our knowledge, this study is the first report presenting the high association between P. hominis and gastrointestinal cancers. Nevertheless, whether there is any possible pathological role of P. hominis infection in cancer patients needs to be further elucidated.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; China; DNA, Intergenic; Feces; Female; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Polymorphism, Genetic; Prevalence; Protozoan Infections; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; Trichomonadida
PubMed: 31462294
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3684-4 -
Comparative Biochemistry and... 19881. Pentatrichomonas hominis was found incapable of de novo synthesis of purines. 2. Pentatrichomonas hominis can salvage adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine, adenosine,...
1. Pentatrichomonas hominis was found incapable of de novo synthesis of purines. 2. Pentatrichomonas hominis can salvage adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine, adenosine, guanosine and inosine, but not xanthine for the synthesis of nucleotides. 3. HPLC tracing of radiolabelled purines or purine nucleosides revealed that adenine, adenosine and hypoxanthine are incorporated into adenine nucleotides and IMP through a similar channel while guanine and guanosine are salvaged into guanine nucleotides via another route. There appears to be no direct interconversion between adenine and guanine nucleotides. Interconversion between AMP and IMP was observed. 4. Assays of purine salvage enzymes revealed that P. hominis possess adenosine kinase; adenosine, guanosine and inosine phosphotransferases; adenosine, guanosine and inosine phosphorylases and AMP deaminase.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Kinetics; Purine Nucleosides; Purine Nucleotides; Purines; Trichomonas
PubMed: 3409669
DOI: 10.1016/0305-0491(88)90098-3 -
JFMS Open Reports 2018Chronic diarrhea is a common and recurring problem in feline medicine. Intestinal trichomonads have been reported as causative agents of diarrhea in cats. While is...
CASE SERIES SUMMARY
Chronic diarrhea is a common and recurring problem in feline medicine. Intestinal trichomonads have been reported as causative agents of diarrhea in cats. While is considered commensal, 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 , not , 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 INFORMATION
This case report describes 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, 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 infection.
PubMed: 29872537
DOI: 10.1177/2055116918774959 -
Parasitology Research Feb 2016Pentatrichomonas hominis is an anaerobic amitochondrial flagellated protist that primarily colonizes the large intestines of a number of species, including cats, dogs,...
Pentatrichomonas hominis is an anaerobic amitochondrial flagellated protist that primarily colonizes the large intestines of a number of species, including cats, dogs, nonhuman primates, and humans. The prevalence of this parasite in dogs, monkeys, and humans is, however, poorly understood. In this study, a total of 362 fecal samples including 252 dogs, 60 monkeys, and 50 humans from northern China were collected for an epidemiological survey of P. hominis infection.The average prevalence of P. hominis infection determined by nested PCR was 27.38% (69/252), 4.00% (2/50), and 46.67% (28/60) in dogs, humans, and monkeys, respectively. The prevalence was significantly higher in 6-month-old dogs (41.53%) and children (7.69%) than in older dogs (14.39%) and adults (0%) (P < 0.05). Sequencing of amplicons revealed that four variable positions separated sequences into three types, called CC1-3. CC1 was the most prevalent in the study population. This study determined that P. hominis infection is common in dogs, monkeys, and humans, especially in children and young dogs. Given the infection prevalence, P. hominis may pose a risk of zoonotic and anthroponotic transmission.
Topics: Adult; Animals; Cats; Child; China; DNA, Protozoan; DNA, Ribosomal; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Feces; Haplorhini; Humans; Male; Monkey Diseases; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Prevalence; Protozoan Infections; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Trichomonadida
PubMed: 26481488
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-015-4773-8 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2022is a parasitic trichomonads protozoa that parasitizes in the colon and cecum of humans and other animals. Our previous studies have demonstrated that infection with is...
is a parasitic trichomonads protozoa that parasitizes in the colon and cecum of humans and other animals. Our previous studies have demonstrated that infection with is associated with the incidence of colon cancer (37.93%). However, the mechanism by which infections increase the incidence of colon cancer remains unclear. Previous studies have suggested that certain parasites promote colon cancer by regulating gut microbiota. This study aimed to elucidate whether the association between infections and the increased incidence of colon cancer is related to changes in gut microbiota. Therefore, the gut microbiota patients with colon cancer who were infected with and uninfected patients with colon cancer were analyzed by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. The results demonstrated that patients with colon cancer who were not infected with showed increased gut bacterial diversity, a higher relative abundance of sp., sp., sp., , and a significant reduction in the abundance of sp., compared to individuals without colon cancer. Additionally, the relative abundance of the and the groups was reduced, while the relative abundance of bacteria associated with colon cancer, including sp., sp., and the group, increased significantly in patients with colon cancer who were infected with , compared to those of uninfected patients with colon cancer. In conclusion, these results suggested that infections may aggravate the development of colon cancer and the findings provide new insights for subsequent in-depth studies on the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and prevention of colon cancer.
Topics: Animals; Bacteria; Colonic Neoplasms; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
PubMed: 36118043
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.961974 -
Parasitology Research May 2014A trichomonad-like parasite isolated from canine fecal samples in Changchun, China was successfully cultivated in vitro using RPMI1640 medium supplemented with 10%...
A trichomonad-like parasite isolated from canine fecal samples in Changchun, China was successfully cultivated in vitro using RPMI1640 medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated calf serum and antibiotics. These were then subjected to scanning and transmission electron microscopy for ultrastructural study. This parasite has four anterior flagella of unequal length, one independent flagellum, and one recurrent flagellum. It exhibits an anterior nucleus, a Golgi complex, an axostyle, food vacuoles, and hydrogenosomes. These features are consistent with the ultrastructural characteristics of previously described Pentatrichomonas hominis. Polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis of three genetic loci, including ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2, 18S rRNA, and EF-1α, were also used to compare these samples with other trichomonad species. Molecular identification was also consistent with P. hominis. This is the first time that isolation of P. hominis has been isolated from dog in China, although several other strains of P. hominis have been isolated from human samples.
Topics: Animals; China; DNA, Protozoan; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; Diarrhea; Dogs; Feces; Male; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Peptide Elongation Factor 1; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Protozoan Infections, Animal; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; Trichomonadida
PubMed: 24623347
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-014-3825-9