Tritrichomonosis of the cat
The Tritrichomonose is a by Tritrichomonas fetus caused parasitosis of the cat, which is characterized by large bowel diarrhea.
Pathogen, Transmission and Occurrence
Tritrichomonas fetus is a 10–25 × 3–15 µm large unicellular organism with three flagella on its front end and one flagella on its rear end.
The pathogen also causes another tritrichomonosis , namely trichomonads disease in cattle. However, the isolates from cats and cattle differ genetically, so that an infection of the cat by abortion material from cattle, as still assumed in the older literature, is now considered refuted. It is transmitted from cat to cat via a fecal smear infection . The infection was described for the first time in 1996 and infestation rates in cat breeding of up to 30% of cats were determined, in an English study the infestation rate in diarrhea cats was 15%. Pedigree cats seem to be affected more often.
Clinical picture and diagnostics
Clinically manifest diseases occur mainly in young animals. The animals may have previously been asymptomatic carriers and the disease may develop through stress. Chronic recurrent diarrhea, sometimes with blood and mucus, are typical. Since the pathogen parasitizes in the ileum , appendix and colon , large intestinal diarrhea with increased faecal frequency and thin, stinky, putrid faeces are typical.
The disease can occur through the detection of Tritrichomonas fetus in the feces. For this purpose, smears from freshly deposited faeces or prior cultivation in a special culture medium are suitable. Detection using the polymerase chain reaction is the most sensitive. Co-infections with Giardia intestinalis are common.
treatment
Only ronidazole is suitable for the treatment , but recurrences and severe central nervous side effects can occur even with a small overdose. Without treatment, symptoms will go away after five months to two years.
Web links
- Tritrichomonosis in cats at Laboklin ( Memento from June 18, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Katrin Hartmann, Jutta Hein: Infectious diseases of the cat . Kluwer, 2008, ISBN 978-3-87706-746-8 , pp. 268-270.
- ↑ a b c Nadia Asisi et al: Tritrichomonas fetus - a diarrhea pathogen in cats. In: Small Animal Practice . 53 (2008), pp. 688-693.
- ↑ a b c Barbara Hinney and Anja Joachim: Gastrointestinal parasites in dogs and cats. In: Small Animal Practice. 58 (2013), pp. 256-278.