Molecular determination of Tritrichomonas spp. in aborted bovine foetuses in Eastern Anatolian Region of Turkey

Tritrichomonas foetus is the causative agent of venereal trichomonosis in cattle causing infertility, pyometra and abortions. The objectives of this study were to determine the positivity rate of Tritrichomonas spp. in abomasal content of aborted foetuses from Eastern Anatolian Region of Turkey, using staining, culture and PCR methods and to present the isolates found in the region. A total of 246 abomasal content of aborted foetuses were tested and 14 of 246 (5.7%) were Tritrichomonas spp. positive only by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Positivity was not attained by staining or culture method. Four of the positive samples in PCR were confirmed to be T. foetus by sequencing of the amplified 5.8S rRNA gene and flanking ITS regions. Nucleotide sequences of TR-Erzurum T. foetus isolates have been entered into the GenBank sequence database under accession numbers KC236423 through KC236426. This preliminary study suggests that future studies are needed on the systematic relationships and epidemiology of T. foetus isolates in the region.