Trichomonas species Noor Edan

Trichomonas Tritrichomonas foetus is a pathogenic flagellate beloning to Order : Trichomonadida, Family: Trichomonadida that causes a sexually transmitted invasion of the reproductive tract in cattle. in cows, mainly the uterus is infected, with transient infection of the the vagina, in bulls the preputial cavity, and less frequently the urethral orifice are infected.

Morphology pyriform (pear-shaped) small flagellates about 10– 25 mm long with three free anterior flagella and a recurrent one forming a well-developed undulating membrane that runs almost the entire length of one lateral edge of the protozoa forming posterior flagellum , each flagella rising from basal body. The axostyle (hyaline rod structure) is prominent emerge from the posterior end of the organism , the axostyle have skeletal function

Lifecycle Tritrichomonas foetus is a venereal disease in cattle causing early embryonic death and abortion. The protozoa resides on the surface and in the lumen of the female reproductive tract and in the crypt of penile epithelial cells. Transmission is achieved from infected individuals during mating and direct contact, T. foetus has no known cyst stage, although carrier cows occur very rarely and the pathogenesis of the carrier state is unknown. Therefore, trophozoites replicate simply by binary fission.

Clinical sings Bulls do not show any clinical signs of infections and can infect females at mating. In cows, there may be infertility, early embryonic death and abortion, and reproductive tract infections such as pyometra. Cows may show outward signs of infection, namely a sticky, white vaginal discharge, which may occur for up to two months after the initial infection. The disease results in abortion of the embryo, often within ten days of conception, after the abortion of the fetus and the cow's return to a normal menstrual cycle, the cow may come into estrus again.

Pathogenesis In the bulls the principle is the periputial cavity and urethra , muco-purulent discharge may be present and swelling of prepuce is seen ,but these sings disappear after 1-2 weeks and the animal become carrier of the disease and act as source of infection .In cows, after 14-18 days of infection there are vaginitis with white discharge and then invade the uterus and lead to abortion. In some cases the dead fetus is not expulsion but it was macerated and this lead to pyometra

Diagnosis 1- From clinical signs of infertility and vaginal discharge Diagnosis 1- From clinical signs of infertility and vaginal discharge. 2-Diagnosis may rely on microscopic examination of vaginal or perpetual smears. 3-Serological test like complement fixation test  can be performed to detect parasite antibodies in vaginal secretions. 4- Collection of samples from abortion material: T. fetus is present in placental fluids, uterine exudates, fetal fluids and fetal stomach contents, and these specimens should be selected for culture . 5-Culturing the vaginal discharge and preputial secretion samples from bulls on Modified Diamond’s medium. 6- Polymerase chain reaction

Treatment: treatment for both pregnant and non-pregnant patients usually utilizes metronidazol (Flagyl), but with caution especially in early stages of pregnancy 2000 mg by mouth once. Sexual partners, even if asymptomatic, should be treated concurrently

Prevention and Control of Bovine Trichomoniasis: 1 Prevention and Control of Bovine Trichomoniasis: 1. Culture all bulls 3‐4 weeks prior to breeding season and 2‐3 weeks after breeding season, replace older bulls with younger bulls. 2- separate open cows at pregnancy check time as well as those that abort or have a noticeable discharge. 3-Artificial insemination can reduce the spread of bovine trichomoniasis . 4- Vaccination:either a monovalent vaccine or part of a polyvalent vaccine .

Trichomonas vaginalis Trichomonas vaginalis, a parasitic protozoan, is the etiologic agent of trichomoniasis, and is a sexually transmitted infection , the site of infection in vagina and urethra of women and in seminal vesicle and urethra of men.

Morphology: It is "pear" shaped measuring 9 × 7 μm, five flagella arise from basal body; four of these immediately extend outside the cell together, while the fifth flagellum wraps backwards to the middlle of the body . In addition, axostyle projects opposite the four-flagella bundle.

Life cycle: Life cycle

Clinical sings Most people infected with trichomonas vaginalis do not have any symptoms. Symptoms include pain, burning or itching in the penis,urethra or vagina , discomfort for both sexes may increase during  intercourse  and urination. For women there may also be a yellow-green, foul smelling("fishy"smell) vaginal discharge.

Pathogenesis The adherence, hemolysis, Immune system evasion are all important factors in the pathogenicity of this. Four adhesin proteins ranging from 65 kDa to 21kDa or less, are associated with cytadherence((AP 65, 51, 33 and 23). T.vaginalis is capable of producing haemolysis and utilizing haemoglobin as a source of iron. T. vaginalis ability to evade the host immune system is an important aspect of pathogenesis.

Diagnosis: 1-The most common means of diagnosis is visualization of the motile trichomonads in a saline preparation of the vaginal fluid. 2- The broth culture method is the gold standard for diagnosis. 3-Serological test. 3- DNA detection in clinical samples by PCR.

Treatment Until recently, metronidazole was the only efficacious antibiotic available for the treatment of trichomoniasis , the recommended dose is 2 g orally in a single dose.

Prevention and control 1-The main focus to prevent and control the disease should be on the identification of infected women and treatment of both the sexual partners. 2-Vaccination:The Solco Trichovac Vaccine prepared from heat inactive Lactobacilli was thought to induce protection.