First Report of the Molecular Prevalence of Trichomonads from Oral Cavities in Household Dogs and Cats in East China.

Abstract

Background: Recently, several trichomonads species including Trichomonas tenax, Trichomonas brixi and Tetratrichomonas sp. have been found in the oral cavities in dogs and cats. Although the number of dogs and cats is rapidly increasing in China, the prevalence and zoonotic potential of oral trichomonads in dogs and cats remains unclear.

Purpose: This study investigated the molecular prevalence of oral trichomonads in pet dogs and cats in East China using molecular methods.

Methods: A total of 386 dogs and 497 cats from five pet clinics in Anhui Province and Shanghai city were determined in terms of the occurrence and species distribution of oral trichomonads using the PCR amplification and sequence of ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2 region.

Results: The overall prevalence of oral trichomonads in dogs and cats in this study was 2.8% (25/883), with infection rates of 2.6% (10/386) in dogs and 3.0% (15/497) in cats. Initial evaluation of potential risk factors found no significant difference in prevalence of oral trichomonads between age and gender form tested dogs or cats. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analyses revealed the presence of T. tenax and T. brixi in pet dogs and cats in East China.

Conclusion: The present work represents the first report about the prevalence and zoonotic potential of oral trichomonads in dogs and cats in China. Considering the zoonotic potential of T. tenax, the huge population of companion animals in China, and the close relationship between owners and companion animals, transmission between humans and domestic animals should be taken into consideration.