-
Genomics Feb 2012MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of extensively studied RNAi-associated small RNAs that play a critical role in eukaryotic gene regulation. However, knowledge on the miRNA...
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of extensively studied RNAi-associated small RNAs that play a critical role in eukaryotic gene regulation. However, knowledge on the miRNA and its regulation in unicellular eukaryotes is very limited. In order to obtain a better understanding on the origin of miRNA regulation system, we used deep-sequencing technology to investigate the miRNA expression pattern in four deep-branching unicellular flagellates: Giardia lamblia, Trichomonas vaginalis, Tritrichomonas foetus, and Pentatrichomonas hominis. In addition to the known miRNAs that have been described in G. lamblia and T. vaginalis, we identified 14 ancient animal miRNA families and 13 plant-specific families. Bioinformatics analysis also identified four novel miRNA candidates with reliable precursor structures derived from mature tRNAs. Our results indicated that miRNAs are likely to be a general feature for gene regulation throughout unicellular and multicellular eukaryotes and some of them may derive from unconventional ncRNAs such as snoRNA and tRNA.
Topics: Chromosome Mapping; Gene Expression Profiling; Giardia lamblia; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; MicroRNAs; RNA, Protozoan; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Trichomonadida
PubMed: 22120185
DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2011.11.002 -
The Korean Journal of Parasitology Oct 2014Trichomonad species inhabit a variety of vertebrate hosts; however, their potential zoonotic transmission has not been clearly addressed, especially with regard to human...
Trichomonad species inhabit a variety of vertebrate hosts; however, their potential zoonotic transmission has not been clearly addressed, especially with regard to human infection. Twenty-one strains of trichomonads isolated from humans (5 isolates), pigs (6 isolates), rodents (6 isolates), a water buffalo (1 isolate), a cow (1 isolate), a goat (1 isolate), and a dog (1 isolate) were collected in Indonesia and molecularly characterized. The DNA sequences of the partial 18S small subunit ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene or 5.8S rRNA gene locus with its flanking regions (internal transcribed spacer region, ITS1 and ITS2) were identified in various trichomonads; Simplicimonas sp., Hexamastix mitis, and Hypotrichomonas sp. from rodents, and Tetratrichomonas sp. and Trichomonas sp. from pigs. All of these species were not detected in humans, whereas Pentatrichomonas hominis was identified in humans, pigs, the dog, the water buffalo, the cow, and the goat. Even when using the high-resolution gene locus of the ITS regions, all P. hominis strains were genetically identical; thus zoonotic transmission between humans and these closely related mammals may be occurring in the area investigated. The detection of Simplicimonas sp. in rodents (Rattus exulans) and P. hominis in water buffalo in this study revealed newly recognized host adaptations and suggested the existence of remaining unrevealed ranges of hosts in the trichomonad species.
Topics: Animals; DNA, Protozoan; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; Humans; Indonesia; Mammals; Protozoan Infections; RNA, Protozoan; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; Species Specificity; Trichomonadida
PubMed: 25352694
DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2014.52.5.471 -
Loop mediated isothermal amplification of 5.8S rDNA for specific detection of Tritrichomonas foetus.Veterinary Parasitology Mar 2013Tritrichomonas foetus is the causative agent of bovine trichomonosis, a sexually transmitted disease leading to infertility and abortion. A test based on loop mediated...
Tritrichomonas foetus is the causative agent of bovine trichomonosis, a sexually transmitted disease leading to infertility and abortion. A test based on loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) targeting the 5.8S rDNA subunit was designed for the specific identification of T. foetus. The LAMP assay was validated using 28 T. foetus and 35 non-T. foetus trichomonads strains. It did not exhibit cross-reaction with closely related parasites commonly found in smegma cultures like Tetratrichomonas spp. and Pentatrichomonas hominis. Bovine smegma did not show interferences for the detection of the parasite and, the sensitivity of the method (4×10(3) CFU/mL, approximately 10 cells/reaction) was slightly higher than that found for PCR amplification with TFR3 and TFR4 primers. The LAMP approach has potential applications for diagnosis and control of T. foetus and, practical use for low skill operators in rural areas.
Topics: Animals; Base Sequence; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; DNA, Protozoan; DNA, Ribosomal; Male; Molecular Sequence Data; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; Protozoan Infections, Animal; Smegma; Tritrichomonas foetus
PubMed: 23265811
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2012.11.034 -
Sexually Transmitted Infections Apr 2007To investigate the possible involvement of human trichomonads (Pentatrichomonas hominis and Trichomonas tenax) other than Trichomonas vaginalis in the aetiology of...
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the possible involvement of human trichomonads (Pentatrichomonas hominis and Trichomonas tenax) other than Trichomonas vaginalis in the aetiology of vaginal trichomoniasis.
METHODS
Vaginal swabs taken from women attending antenatal clinics were tested for Trichomonas vaginalis by traditional assays (wet-mount microscopy and InPouch culture) and nucleic acid amplification (polymerase chain reaction). These swabs were also tested for the presence of P hominis and T tenax by nucleic acid amplification. Oral and rectal swabs from these women were tested for T tenax and P hominis respectively. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, sexual and anogenital hygiene practices likely to seed P hominis and T tenax into the vagina were collected by a questionnaire.
RESULTS
93% (161) of the 173 samples in which T vaginalis was detected by wet preparation or culture was evaluable by PCR. Of this, T vaginalis was detected in 94% (152) by T vaginalis-specific PCR. Neither P hominis nor T tenax was detected in any of the vaginal swab samples. These included nine samples for which T vaginalis had been detected by wet preparation or culture, but were negative by T vaginalis nucleic acid amplification. P hominis and T tenax were not detected in any of the rectal and oral swabs, respectively.
CONCLUSION
In this group of women, there was no evidence for the involvement of trichomonads other than T vaginalis in the aetiology of vaginal trichomoniasis.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Animals; Female; Ghana; Humans; Mouth Diseases; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Rectal Diseases; Trichomonas; Trichomonas Vaginitis; Vaginal Smears
PubMed: 16790560
DOI: 10.1136/sti.2006.020941 -
Veterinary Parasitology Feb 2013Tritrichomonas foetus (TF) is a protozoan that infects the feline ileum and colon resulting in chronic diarrhea. Up to 30% of young purebred cats are infected with TF...
Tritrichomonas foetus (TF) is a protozoan that infects the feline ileum and colon resulting in chronic diarrhea. Up to 30% of young purebred cats are infected with TF and the infection is recognized as pandemic. Only a single drug, characterized by a narrow margin of safety and emerging development of resistance, is effective for treatment. While the venereal pathogenicity of bovine TF is attributed to adherence to uterovaginal epithelium, the pathogenesis of diarrhea in feline TF infection is unknown. The aim of this study was to establish an in vitro model of feline TF adhesion to intestinal epithelium. Confluent monolayers of porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) were infected with axenic cultures of feline TF that were labeled with [(3)H] thymidine or CFSE and harvested at log-phase. The effect of multiplicity and duration of infection, viability of TF, binding competition, formalin fixation and cytoskeletal inhibitors on adherence of feline TF to IPEC-J2 monolayers was quantified by liquid scintillation counting and immunofluorescence. [(3)H] thymidine and CFSE-labeled TF reproducibly adhered to IPEC-J2 monolayers. Clinical isolates of feline TF adhered to the intestinal epithelium in significantly greater numbers than Pentatrichomonas hominis, the latter of which is a presumably nonpathogenic trichomonad. Adhesion of TF required viable trophozoites but was independent of cytoskeletal activity. Based on saturation and competition binding experiments, adherence of feline TF to the epithelium occurred via specific receptor-ligand interactions. The developed model provides a valuable resource for assessing pathogenic mechanisms of feline TF and developing novel pharmacologic therapies for blocking the adhesion of feline TF to the intestinal epithelium.
Topics: Animals; Cat Diseases; Cats; Cell Adhesion; Cell Line; Cell Proliferation; Diarrhea; Epithelial Cells; Intestinal Mucosa; Ligands; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Models, Biological; Protozoan Infections, Animal; Swine; Trichomonadida; Tritium; Tritrichomonas foetus; Trophozoites
PubMed: 23182300
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2012.10.019 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2023Protozoa, in both humans and animals, are one of the leading causes of disease. International programmes introduced in many countries have helped reduce the incidence of...
Protozoa, in both humans and animals, are one of the leading causes of disease. International programmes introduced in many countries have helped reduce the incidence of disease. However, it has recently become increasingly difficult to achieve the goals set for the coming years. One of the main reasons for this, as with other pathogenic organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, is the increasing resistance to current methods of treating and preventing infection. Therefore, new therapies with high efficacy are needed. In the present study, the novel mixtures of essential oils (EOs), clove, garlic, Ceylon cinnamon, and rosemary with organic acids (acetic, propionic, lactic) and metal ions (Cu, Mn, Zn) were tested against five selected model protozoa (, , , , ). The cytotoxicity and potential anticancer activity of the obtained combinations were tested on the human fibroblasts (NHDF) and human cancer cell lines (A549, MCF7, LoVo, HT29). All of the mixtures showed very good antiprotozoal properties. The most efficient were the combination of clove and rosemary essential oils, mixtures of acids, and Mn ions. The LD values were in the range of 0.001-0.006% and the LD values were 0.002-0.008%. All of the tested mixtures did not show cytotoxicity against normal cells, but did show growth inhibition against cancer cell lines. The most cytotoxic against cancer cells were combinations with cinnamon essential oil. Nevertheless, the proposed combinations containing essential oils, organic acids, and metal ions have high antiprotozoal activity, with low toxicity to healthy human cells.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Oils, Volatile; Monoterpenes; Antiprotozoal Agents; Cinnamomum zeylanicum
PubMed: 36771061
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28031395 -
Infection and Immunity Sep 1982Human cervicovaginal secretions were obtained from patients at the Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinics at National Taiwan University Hospital and Cathay General Hospital,...
Human cervicovaginal secretions were obtained from patients at the Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinics at National Taiwan University Hospital and Cathay General Hospital, Republic of China. Among the 500 patients examined, 33 (6.6%) were infected with Trichomonas vaginalis as determined by the culture method. Secretions from 24 of the infected patients and 30 noninfected women were assayed for anti-T. vaginalis immunoglobulins by the indirect immunofluorescent antibody technique. A few serum samples from both infected and noninfected persons were also included in this study. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody against T. vaginalis was detected in 17 (70.8%) secretions from the infected women. Among the 17 positive secretions, anti-parasite IgA was found in two specimens, IgE was found in three, and IgM was found in one. Of the 30 secretions, 7 (23.3%) from noninfected women also contained anti-parasite IgG. Low levels of natural anti-trichomonad IgG and IgM were detected in the sera of normal persons. Infection with T. vaginalis caused an increase in the serum IgG antibody titer. Cross-reaction between T. vaginalis and Pentatrichomonas hominis was also observed.
Topics: Animals; Cervix Uteri; Cross Reactions; Female; Humans; Immunoglobulin A; Immunoglobulin E; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin M; Immunoglobulins; Trichomonas; Trichomonas Vaginitis; Trichomonas vaginalis; Vagina
PubMed: 6982231
DOI: 10.1128/iai.37.3.852-857.1982 -
The Journal of Parasitology Oct 1988Isoenzyme electrophoresis was used to study levels of genetic differentiation among strains and clones of Trichomonas gallinae, Trichomonas vaginalis, Tritrichomonas...
Isoenzyme electrophoresis was used to study levels of genetic differentiation among strains and clones of Trichomonas gallinae, Trichomonas vaginalis, Tritrichomonas foetus, Tetratrichomonas gallinarum, and Pentatrichomonas hominis. Strain variation was found within T. gallinae, T. vaginalis, and T. foetus, however, levels of enzyme polymorphism were greater in T. gallinae than in T. vaginalis or T. foetus. Isoenzyme genotypes were not a stable property of T. gallinae clones cultivated in vitro. Retrospective studies of T. gallinae SG and JB6 clones revealed that mutation occurred during in vitro cultivation. Heterozygotes of hexokinase-1 and phosphoglucomutase displayed 2 allomorphs in equal dosage, indicating that trichomonads are diploid for these protein loci. Phenetic clustering of the biochemical data suggests that levels of genetic divergence among the species studied are extensive.
Topics: Animals; Culture Media; Electrophoresis, Starch Gel; Genotype; Isoenzymes; Phenotype; Polymorphism, Genetic; Trichomonas
PubMed: 3418458
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal of Clinical Microbiology Nov 2002Tritrichomonas foetus, a venereal pathogen of cattle, was recently identified as an inhabitant of the large intestine in young domestic cats with chronic diarrhea....
Tritrichomonas foetus, a venereal pathogen of cattle, was recently identified as an inhabitant of the large intestine in young domestic cats with chronic diarrhea. Recognition of the infection in cats has been mired by unfamiliarity with T. foetus in cats as well as misdiagnosis of the organisms as Pentatrichomonas hominis or Giardia sp. when visualized by light microscopy. The diagnosis of T. foetus presently depends on the demonstration of live organisms by direct microscopic examination of fresh feces or by fecal culturing. As T. foetus organisms are fastidious and fragile, routine flotation techniques and delayed examination and refrigeration of feces are anticipated to preclude the diagnosis in numerous cases. The objective of this study was to develop a sensitive and specific PCR test for the diagnosis of feline T. foetus infection. A single-tube nested PCR was designed and optimized for the detection of T. foetus in feline feces by using a combination of novel (TFITS-F and TFITS-R) and previously described (TFR3 and TFR4) primers. The PCR is based on the amplification of a conserved portion of the T. foetus internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region (ITS1 and ITS2) and the 5.8S rRNA gene. The absolute detection limit of the single-tube nested PCR was 1 organism, while the practical detection limit was 10 organisms per 200 mg of feces. Specificity was examined by using P. hominis, Giardia lamblia, and feline genomic DNA. Our results demonstrate that the single-tube nested PCR is ideally suited for (i) diagnostic testing of feline fecal samples that are found negative by direct microscopy and culturing and (ii) definitive identification of microscopically observable or cultivated organisms.
Topics: Animals; Cat Diseases; Cats; DNA Primers; DNA, Protozoan; DNA, Ribosomal; Feces; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Protozoan Infections; Protozoan Infections, Animal; RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S; Sensitivity and Specificity; Tritrichomonas foetus
PubMed: 12409385
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.40.11.4126-4130.2002 -
The Journal of Veterinary Medical... Apr 2012Tritrichomonas suis (=T. foetus) has recently been reported to be a causative agent of chronic large-bowel diarrhea in cats. While the disease was previously attributed...
Tritrichomonas suis (=T. foetus) has recently been reported to be a causative agent of chronic large-bowel diarrhea in cats. While the disease was previously attributed to Pentatrichomonas hominis, the etiologic agent for feline trichomonal diarrhea was identified as T. suis. Although feline trichomonosis due to T. suis has been reported at prevalences ranging from 14 to 31% in Europe and the U.S., no reports of the pathogen have been published to date in Japan. In 2008, however, we encountered a case of feline trichomonosis at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Hokkaido University. The parasite was identified as T. suis by nested PCR amplification of partial internal transcribed spacer region 1 and 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene sequences with T. suis-specific primers and DNA sequencing of the amplified products. We then conducted surveys for feline trichomonosis in three different animal hospitals using either cultivation and/or PCR-based assays. The results revealed that 13 of 147 samples (8.8%) were positive for T. suis, and that 5 of the 13 infected cats, which ranged between 1 month and 7.5 years-old, showed chronic diarrhea. Seven of the infected cats were purebred and 6 were mixed breed. These findings suggested that feline trichomonosis is prevalent in Japan, and that T. suis may play a role as a causative agent of feline chronic diarrhea.
Topics: Animals; Cat Diseases; Cats; DNA, Protozoan; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; Diarrhea; Feces; Japan; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Prevalence; Protozoan Infections, Animal; RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S; Tritrichomonas foetus
PubMed: 22104396
DOI: 10.1292/jvms.11-0171