Cross-sectional survey on Tritrichomonas foetus infection in Italian cats

The overall prevalence of T. foetus infection was 5.2%. All the infected cats showed diarrhoea at the time of sampling: 9 out of 14 positive cats were co-infected with G. duodenalis, 1 with Toxocara cati and 3 with Dipylidium caninum. The risk factor analysis showed that not only the breed, but also co-infections with G. duodenalis and Dipylidium caninum were significantly associated with the presence of T. foetus. This study confirms the presence of T. foetus in cats living in Italy, suggesting that this protozoan parasite should always be included in the differential diagnosis of patients referred with large-bowel disease symptoms, especially if they were purebred animals, or affected by other enteric protozoa, such as G. duodenalis.