Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/14
Outputs
Target Audience:Due to technical issues, PI was unable to report in 2015 when information was available. Entering report to close the project. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Due to technical issues, PI was unable to report in 2015 when information was available. Entering report to close the project.
Publications
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Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The products are the segments of DNA that were sequenced and other data that was collected. PARTICIPANTS: The project provided training for 1 thesis graduate student, 1 special problems graduate student, and 2 undergraduate students. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
The major finding is that a new reservoir host for tritrichomoniasis was discovered. Samples of cecal material were taken from 75 wild and 51 domestic rodents in Alabama and Georgia. Samples were examined microscopically for the presence of trichomonads, especially those large enough to be T. foetus (>15 μm long). These large trichomonads were found in 59.5% of samples. To determine the species of trichomonads present, PCR and sequencing methods were used. Three sets of primers were used to amplify the conserved 5.8S rRNA gene, as well as the flanking regions ITS-1 and ITS-2. Results of PCR indicated that T. foetus was present in 28.3% of all specimens. Products derived from PCR were sequenced, and compared to the GenBank database was used to determine sequence homology. Of the specimens, 14.3% were identified as T. foetus (n = 18 of 126), and 12.7% were identified as T. muris (n = 16 of 126). This indicates that rodents could be a reservoir host for T. foetus.
Publications
- Tritrichomonas foetus: Search for a Potential Reservoir Host in Wild and Captive Rodents. 2012. Electronic thesis: http://hdl.handle.net/10415/3371
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Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: An output from this project is the development of modified primers that can detect DNA from T foetus in new hosts. Another output is the determination that there are differences in nucleotide base sequences in trichomonads from different species of hosts. PARTICIPANTS: Not relevant to this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: Not relevant to this project. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
A change in knowledge from this project is that the T. foetus that is isolated from infected cats is physiologically different than the T. foetus that is isolated from infected cattle. This is seen when survival rates at different temperatures are compared among isolates.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Feral rodents are being investigated as reservoirs for the causative agent (trichomonads) that can infect domestic cats and cause clinical large bowel disease. Several hundred trap nights have yielded 50-60 rodents (most are from collecting locations in north Alabama and Auburn). Thus far, all rodents have been infected with flagellates. Speciation of the flagellates is difficult, if not impossible, at the light microscopical level. Thus, DNA has been extracted from the majority of fecal samples from these animals. The DNA is being/has been amplified with 10 different primers in order to compare it to flagellates collected from infected cats. Amplified products from fecal samples of feral animals and from domestic cats will be electrophoresed in order to determine if the flagellates are not only the same species, but also the same strain. Additional samples collected from diverse rodent populations in Mexico have been provided by collaborators from Texas Tech University and will also be analyzed for strains that have also been found in cats. PARTICIPANTS: Training is being provided for one graduate student and several undergraduate students. TARGET AUDIENCES: Not relevant to this project. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
The project will determine if rodents serve as reservoirs of a disease (trichomoniasis) that affects cats and cattle. Transmission of the disease in cats is not known, but speculation suggests that cat-to-cat transmission can occur. However, this type of transmission does not account for all cases of diseased cats. Thus, there is another source of infection in the environment.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/09 to 12/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Outputs have been activities that include gathering data as part of a survey. Approximately 120 samples from rodents have been collected in several ecologically diverse areas of Mexico. Fecal samples have been microscopically analyzed for intestinal flagellates. Matched cecal samples were also collected in most cases. Rodents have been speciated by mammalogists at Texas Tech University. At Auburn, cecal samples that contain flagellates are undergoing DNA extraction and PCR using flagellate-specific primers. Data are being tabulated in Excel format. PARTICIPANTS: Collaborators from Texas Tech University assisted in procuring the samples from Mexico. TARGET AUDIENCES: Not relevant to this project. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Tritrichomonads, in addition to flagellates from other taxonomic groups, have been documented in some samples from Mexican rodents. This represents potential new reservoir hosts for Tritrichomonas foetus, a parasite of cattle (urogenital) and cats (intestinal). This expands the database of possible mammalian species that can harbor the pathogen in the wild.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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