Tritrichomoniasis in cats: ABCD guidelines on prevention and management

Abstract

Overview: Tritrichomonas foetus is a protozoan organism that is specific to cats and can cause large bowel diarrhoea. It is distinct from other Tritrichomonas species and not considered to be zoonotic. Infection is most common in young cats from multicat households, particularly pedigree breeding catteries.

Disease signs: Affected cats show frequent fetid diarrhoea, often with mucus, fresh blood and straining, but generally remain bright and do not lose weight.

Diagnosis: Diagnosis of infection is usually based on direct microscopic examination of freshly voided faeces. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing is more sensitive but may detect infections unrelated to diarrhoea and, therefore, requires care in interpretation.

Treatment: The treatment of choice is ronidazole, which should be used with care as it is an unlicensed drug for cats with a narrow safety margin. Clinical signs are generally self-limiting in untreated cases, but may take months to resolve.

Figure 1

T foetus stained with Lugol’s iodine. Three anterior flagellae can be seen, and an undulating membrane runs the length of the body. Courtesy of International Cat Care (formerly Feline Advisory Bureau)