Here is the medical description, taken from the article I p;osted above, by Dr. Jody Gookin. "Tritrichomonas foetus is a recently recognized parasite in the feline world. It is a single-celled protozoa that likes the warm, moist, and oxygen-deprived conditions inside the feline colon..."
Where did T. foetus come from ?
Tritrichomonas foetus is well known as a venereal infection of bovines (cattle). It was first reported in cats in 1996, where it was found in the intestine and was associated with diarrhea. There is no evidence that feline T. foetus came from cattle, in fact, veterinarians don’t know how T. foetus made its way into the feline population.
What are the symptoms of T. foetus infection ?
Infected cats may or may not have observable symptoms. In cats showing symptoms, T. foetus causes diarrhea, characterized by cow pie-like stools that are often gassy and malodorous. Sometimes there can be mucus or fresh blood in the stool or feces can dribble from the anus.
Several breeders have commented that in symptomatic cats the stool has a very strong and unpleasant odor. Importantly, absence of diarrhea does not mean that a cat is free of infection, particularly in multi-cat households where another cat may have tested positive T. foetus. Adult cats appear to be less inclined to develop diarrhea in response to T. foetus, but nevertheless may serve as a source of the infection for others. Cats can come down with symptoms of T. foetus infection anywhere from days to years after exposure.
How do cats get T. foetus ?
The primary infection pathway is probably the litter box where a well-timed use by two cats can transfer the parasite from the feces of one cat to the paws of another where they later become ingested during grooming. T. foetus can live for several days in a wet stool (wet is the key word). Mutual grooming may also transfer the parasite. There is no evidence that T. foetus is sexually transmitted or infects the reproductive tract or mammary milk of cats.
How will T. foetus affect the health of my cat ?
Infected cats usually do not have their overall health adversely affected. Therefore, owners of infected cats often ignore the infection since their cats maintain body and coat condition. Unfortunately, such cats remain a source of infection for others. If left untreated, approximately ninety percent of infected cats will stop having diarrhea within two years. However, most of these cats will continue to carry the T. foetus organism, possibly for a lifetime. Single cat owners may find this outcome satisfactory if the cat remains healthy in other respects. However, if left untreated the T. foetus infection will perpetuate within their cattery and spread to other cats and catteries when kittens are adopted or animals are transported for breeding. Although many cats will eventually resolve their diarrhea, the prolonged presence of the organisms could predispose to development of inflammatory bowel disease later in life, but this has not yet been explored.
Who should test for T. foetus ?
Catteries that currently or periodically have cats with bouts of diarrhea and that have negative test results for other parasites such as Giardia, helminths (worms), and coccidian should be tested for T. foetus.
No offense taken. TriTrich seems to cause diarrhea that comes and goes. I do not know what happened in the case above. I can only speak from watching a breeder I know deal with it...she discovered it while at a show hall, when her 4 m/o kittens had runny diarrhea, which was foul-smelling. They continued to have diarrhea for the next few days, she took them to the vet, they were tested for giardia and other parasites and then TriTrich. She had to treat the entire cattery with ronidiazole for two weeks and then retest...they are all now negative, as far as I know.
From everything I have read and been told, TriTrich can appear in any cat...and you will not know it, if they are only carriers and present no symptoms, unless tested. And even when tested, unless the conditions are right, they may not test positive. The parasite lives in a warm, wet stool.
The excerpts above were taken from the article by Dr. Jody Gookin.
Where did T. foetus come from ?
Tritrichomonas foetus is well known as a venereal infection of bovines (cattle). It was first reported in cats in 1996, where it was found in the intestine and was associated with diarrhea. There is no evidence that feline T. foetus came from cattle, in fact, veterinarians don’t know how T. foetus made its way into the feline population.
What are the symptoms of T. foetus infection ?
Infected cats may or may not have observable symptoms. In cats showing symptoms, T. foetus causes diarrhea, characterized by cow pie-like stools that are often gassy and malodorous. Sometimes there can be mucus or fresh blood in the stool or feces can dribble from the anus.
Several breeders have commented that in symptomatic cats the stool has a very strong and unpleasant odor. Importantly, absence of diarrhea does not mean that a cat is free of infection, particularly in multi-cat households where another cat may have tested positive T. foetus. Adult cats appear to be less inclined to develop diarrhea in response to T. foetus, but nevertheless may serve as a source of the infection for others. Cats can come down with symptoms of T. foetus infection anywhere from days to years after exposure.
How do cats get T. foetus ?
The primary infection pathway is probably the litter box where a well-timed use by two cats can transfer the parasite from the feces of one cat to the paws of another where they later become ingested during grooming. T. foetus can live for several days in a wet stool (wet is the key word). Mutual grooming may also transfer the parasite. There is no evidence that T. foetus is sexually transmitted or infects the reproductive tract or mammary milk of cats.
How will T. foetus affect the health of my cat ?
Infected cats usually do not have their overall health adversely affected. Therefore, owners of infected cats often ignore the infection since their cats maintain body and coat condition. Unfortunately, such cats remain a source of infection for others. If left untreated, approximately ninety percent of infected cats will stop having diarrhea within two years. However, most of these cats will continue to carry the T. foetus organism, possibly for a lifetime. Single cat owners may find this outcome satisfactory if the cat remains healthy in other respects. However, if left untreated the T. foetus infection will perpetuate within their cattery and spread to other cats and catteries when kittens are adopted or animals are transported for breeding. Although many cats will eventually resolve their diarrhea, the prolonged presence of the organisms could predispose to development of inflammatory bowel disease later in life, but this has not yet been explored.
Who should test for T. foetus ?
Catteries that currently or periodically have cats with bouts of diarrhea and that have negative test results for other parasites such as Giardia, helminths (worms), and coccidian should be tested for T. foetus.
No offense taken. TriTrich seems to cause diarrhea that comes and goes. I do not know what happened in the case above. I can only speak from watching a breeder I know deal with it...she discovered it while at a show hall, when her 4 m/o kittens had runny diarrhea, which was foul-smelling. They continued to have diarrhea for the next few days, she took them to the vet, they were tested for giardia and other parasites and then TriTrich. She had to treat the entire cattery with ronidiazole for two weeks and then retest...they are all now negative, as far as I know.
From everything I have read and been told, TriTrich can appear in any cat...and you will not know it, if they are only carriers and present no symptoms, unless tested. And even when tested, unless the conditions are right, they may not test positive. The parasite lives in a warm, wet stool.
The excerpts above were taken from the article by Dr. Jody Gookin.
