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Identification of Pentatrichomonas hominis in preputial washes of bulls in Brazil

Identificação de Pentatrichomonas hominis em lavado prepucial de touros no Brasil

Abstract

The parabasalid Pentatrichomonas hominis is generally considered to represent a symbiotic component of the gastrointestinal microbiota in a wide variety of vertebrate hosts including humans. Nevertheless, a limited number of studies have raised the possibility that it may act as a pathogen of humans, dogs, and pigs and that some human infections may have a zoonotic origin. Data from North America revealed an association between P. hominis and the bovine urogenital tract, principally in bulls and rarely in cows. The importance of this observation is linked to possible interference in the accurate diagnosis of the economically important venereal pathogen Tritrichomonas foetus. The current study employed culture-based and molecular methods to examine the preputial cavities of four breeding bulls, raised in open pasture in southeastern Brazil, for the presence of trichomonads. Motile protozoa were isolated from three of the bulls and were definitively identified as P. hominis based on nucleotide sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplicons derived from the ribosomal RNA operon (ITS1-5.8S rDNA-ITS2) of the parasite. The potential implications of these findings for bovine and human health are discussed.

Keywords:
Nelore bulls; Trichomonads; Pentatrichomonas hominis; PCR

Resumo

O parabasalídeo Pentatrichomonas hominis é geralmente considerado um componente simbiótico da microbiota gastrointestinal em uma ampla variedade de hospedeiros vertebrados, incluindo os humanos. No entanto, um número limitado de estudos levantou a possibilidade de que possa atuar como patógeno de humanos, cães e suínos, e que algumas infecções humanas possam ter origem zoonótica. Dados da América do Norte revelaram uma associação entre P. hominis e o trato urogenital bovino, principalmente, em touros e raramente em vacas. A importância dessa observação está ligada a uma possível interferência no diagnóstico preciso do patógeno venéreo de importância econômica Tritrichomonas foetus. O presente estudo empregou métodos baseados em cultura em combinação com técnicas moleculares, para examinar as cavidades prepuciais de quatro touros, criados em pastagem aberta no sudeste do Brasil, quanto à presença de tricomonas. Protozoários móveis foram isolados de três dos touros e foram definitivamente identificados como P. hominis com base no sequenciamento de nucleotídeos de amplicons geradas pela reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR), empregando a região RNA ribossômico (ITS1-5.8S rDNA-ITS2) do parasita como alvo. Os potenciais implicações desses achados para a saúde bovina e humana são discutidas.

Palavras-chave:
Touros Nelore; Trichomonadida; Pentatrichomonas hominis; PCR

Pentatrichomonas hominis is a flagellated, anaerobic, unicellular, non-mitochondrial protozoan belonging to the Trichomonadidae family. It is distinguished morphologically by the presence of five anterior flagella and a single recurrent flagellum. The parasite demonstrates extensive host plasticity, having been reported as an inhabitant of the gastrointestinal tract of numerous species of vertebrate including humans, cats, cattle, dogs, goats, non-human primates, swine, owls and even reptiles, wherein it was generally considered to represent a commensal component of the gut microbiota (Li et al., 2014aLi W, Li W, Gong P, Meng Y, Li W, Zhang C, et al. Molecular and morphologic identification of Pentatrichomonas hominis in swine. Vet Parasitol 2014a; 202(3-4): 241-247. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2014.01.028. PMid:24636786.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2014....
, 2018Li WC, Wang K, Gu Y. Occurrence of Blastocystis sp. and Pentatrichomonas hominis in sheep and goats in China. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11(1): 93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13071-018-2671-5. PMid:29454366.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13071-018-267...
, 2020Li WC, Huang JM, Fang Z, Ren Q, Tang L, Kan ZZ, et al. Prevalence of Tetratrichomonas buttreyi and Pentatrichomonas hominis in yellow cattle, dairy cattle, and water buffalo in China. Parasitol Res 2020; 119(2): 637-647. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06550-0. PMid:31823007.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-065...
; Santos et al., 2015Santos CS, Jesus VLT, McIntosh D, Berto BP, Lopes CWG. Co-infection by Tritrichomonas foetus and Pentatrichomonas hominis in asymptomatic cats. Pesq Vet Bras 2015; 35(12): 980-988. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-736X2015001200007.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-736X2015...
; Mahittikorn et al., 2021Mahittikorn A, Udonsom R, Koompapong K, Chiabchalard R, Sutthikornchai C, Sreepian PM, et al. Molecular identification of Pentatrichomonas hominis in animals in central and western Thailand. BMC Vet Res 2021; 17(1): 203. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12917-021-02904-y. PMid:34078384.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12917-021-029...
). However, a limited number of studies and case reports have suggested a potential role for P. hominis as the causative agent of gastrointestinal disease in humans (Meloni et al., 2011Meloni D, Mantini C, Goustille J, Desoubeaux G, Maakaroun-Vermesse Z, Chandenier J, et al. Molecular identification of Pentatrichomonas hominis in two patients with gastrointestinal symptoms. J Clin Pathol 2011; 64(10): 933-935. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jcp.2011.089326. PMid:21551465.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jcp.2011.08932...
) and naturally infected animals (Kim et al., 2010Kim YA, Kim HY, Cho SH, Cheun HI, Yu JR, Lee SE. PCR detection and molecular characterization of Pentatrichomonas hominis from feces of dogs with diarrhea in the Republic of Korea. Korean J Parasitol 2010; 48(1): 9-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2010.48.1.9. PMid:20333280.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2010.48.1....
; Li et al., 2014bLi WC, Gong PT, Ying M, Li JH, Yang J, Li H, et al. C. Pentatrichomonas hominis: first isolation from the feces of a dog with diarrhea in China. Parasitol Res 2014b; 113(5): 1795-1801. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-3825-9. PMid:24623347.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-382...
, 2020Li WC, Huang JM, Fang Z, Ren Q, Tang L, Kan ZZ, et al. Prevalence of Tetratrichomonas buttreyi and Pentatrichomonas hominis in yellow cattle, dairy cattle, and water buffalo in China. Parasitol Res 2020; 119(2): 637-647. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06550-0. PMid:31823007.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-065...
). In addition, experimental infection of pigs with P. hominis resulted in histological lesions associated with changes in the epithelial layer, including congestion, intestinal mucosa desquamation, severely increased numbers of inflammatory cells, vessel rupture and decreased intestinal villus length (Li et al., 2014aLi W, Li W, Gong P, Meng Y, Li W, Zhang C, et al. Molecular and morphologic identification of Pentatrichomonas hominis in swine. Vet Parasitol 2014a; 202(3-4): 241-247. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2014.01.028. PMid:24636786.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2014....
). In contrast, natural P. hominis infections in puppies presenting liquid diarrhea, weight loss, and weakness were resolved via treatment with the antiparasitic agent fenbendazole, but diarrhea persisted and the animals died, indicating that P. hominis was not the etiological agent of the observed gastrointestinal disturbance (Gookin et al., 2005Gookin JL, Birkenheuer AJ, St. John V, Spector M, Levy MG. Molecular characterization of trichomonads from feces of dogs with diarrhea. J Parasitol 2005; 91(4): 939-943. http://dx.doi.org/10.1645/GE-474R.1. PMid:17089769.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1645/GE-474R.1...
).

An association between human gastrointestinal cancers and a significantly elevated prevalence of P. hominis in fecal samples in China was reported by researchers (Zhang et al., 2019Zhang N, Zhang H, Yu Y, Gong P, Li J, Li Z, et al. High prevalence of Pentatrichomonas hominis infection in gastrointestinal cancer patients. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12(1): 423. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13071-019-3684-4. PMid:31462294.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13071-019-368...
), who employed a species-specific PCR assay to examine DNA isolated from feces, with no attempt made to culture the protozoa. The level of detection in cancer patients was 45%, in comparison to a level of 9% in the control population of non-cancer patients. The authors considered it probable that tumor-induced changes in the gut microflora created conditions that were favorable to colonization of the gastrointestinal tract of cancer patients with P. hominis, but no experimental data were provided to support this hypothesis. Moreover, they found no evidence for a pathological function for P. hominis in either cancer induction or progression.

In addition to gastrointestinal illness, the possible involvement of P. hominis in a single case of human pulmonary trichomoniasis, a rare condition normally associated with the oral parasite Trichomonas tenax, was reported in Thailand. Pentatrichomonas was detected by PCR in pleural exudates and was isolated from fecal samples, albeit no evidence of the protozoa was found in the oral cavity. Nucleotide sequencing revealed 100% sequence similarity between the amplicons generated from the pleural exudate and cultured protozoa from feces. The authors interpreted their findings as evidence for the ability of P. hominis to colonize body sites other than the gastrointestinal tract (Jongwutiwes et al., 2000Jongwutiwes S, Silachamroon U, Putaporntip C. Pentatrichomonas hominis in empyema thoracis. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2000; 94(2): 185-186. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0035-9203(00)90270-0. PMid:10897364.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0035-9203(00)...
).

Taken as a whole, the evidence to support a role for P. hominis as a pathogen could be viewed as controversial (Maritz et al., 2014Maritz JM, Land KM, Carlton JM, Hirt RP. What is the importance of zoonotic trichomonads for human health? Trends Parasitol 2014; 30(7): 333-341. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2014.05.005. PMid:24951156.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2014.05.0...
). In contrast, there exists robust evidence demonstrating the ability of P. hominis to colonize the preputial cavity of bulls in North America (Hayes et al., 2003Hayes DC, Anderson RR, Walker RL. Identification of trichomonadid protozoa from the bovine preputial cavity by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism typing. J Vet Diagn Invest 2003; 15(4): 390-394. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/104063870301500417. PMid:12918825.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10406387030150...
; Walker et al., 2003Walker RL, Hayes DC, Sawyer SJ, Nordhausen RW, Van Hoosear KA, BonDurant RH. Comparison of the 5.8S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer regions of trichomonadid protozoa recovered from the bovine preputial cavity. J Vet Diagn Invest 2003; 15(1): 14-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/104063870301500104. PMid:12580289.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10406387030150...
; Dufernez et al., 2007Dufernez F, Walker RL, Noël C, Caby S, Mantini C, Delgado-Viscogliosi P, et al. Morphological and molecular identification of non-Tritrichomonas foetus trichomonad protozoa from the bovine preputial cavity. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2007; 54(2): 161-168. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1550-7408.2007.00247.x. PMid:17403157.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1550-7408.20...
). In addition to confirming the ability of the protozoan to inhabit non-gastrointestinal body sites, the presence of P. hominis in the bovine urogenital tract, represents a problem for the accurate diagnosis of Tritrichomonas foetus, an economically important venereal trichomonad parasite of cattle that causes reproductive issues, including spontaneous abortion, pyometra and infertility (Bailey et al., 2021Bailey NP, Velo-Rego E, Hirt RP. Sporadic isolation of Tetratrichomonas species from the cattle urogenital tract. Parasitology 2021; 148(11): 1339-1344. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S003118202100086X. PMid:34078489.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0031182021000...
). In a subsequent study (Corbeil et al., 2008Corbeil LB, Campero CM, Van Hoosear K, Bondurant RH. Detection of trichomonad species in the reproductive tracts of breeding and virgin bulls. Vet Parasitol 2008; 154(3-4): 226-232. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.03.014. PMid:18450382.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2008....
), the isolation of two non-T. foetus trichomonads, (identified as P. hominis based on the results of PCR and immunofluorescence assays) was recorded from the vaginas of breeding cows in the United States of America (USA). The same study identified the presence of P. hominis in the urogenital tract of breeding (non-virgin) bulls, and the authors raised the possibility that P. hominis may be sexually transmitted in a manner similar to T. foetus.

To our knowledge, no studies have been published relating the identification or isolation of P. hominis from the urogenital system of cattle in South America. However, colonization of the genitalia and smegma by other, non-T. foetus, trichomonads was reported as an infrequent phenomenon in virgin bulls reared in Argentina (Campero et al., 2003Campero CM, Moore DP, Odeón AC, Cipolla AL, Odriozola E. Aetiology of bovine abortion in Argentina. Vet Res Commun 2003; 27(5): 359-369. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1024754003432. PMid:14509450.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:102475400343...
; Cobo et al., 2003Cobo ER, Campero CM, Mariante RM, Benchimol M. Ultrastructural study of a tetratrichomonad species isolated from prepucial smegma of virgin bulls. Vet Parasitol 2003; 117(3): 195-211. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2003.07.026. PMid:14630428.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2003....
). In addition, the isolation of a non-T. foetus trichomonad in cattle that grouped phylogenetically with the trichomonads identified in the study of Walker et al. (2003)Walker RL, Hayes DC, Sawyer SJ, Nordhausen RW, Van Hoosear KA, BonDurant RH. Comparison of the 5.8S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer regions of trichomonadid protozoa recovered from the bovine preputial cavity. J Vet Diagn Invest 2003; 15(1): 14-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/104063870301500104. PMid:12580289.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10406387030150...
was reported, but not discussed in detail, by Brazilian researchers (Kleina et al., 2004Kleina P, Bettim-Bandinelli J, Bonatto SL, Benchimol M, Bogo MR. Molecular phylogeny of Trichomonadidae family inferred from ITS-1, 5.8S rRNA and ITS-2 sequences. Int J Parasitol 2004; 34(8): 963-970. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2004.04.004. PMid:15217735.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2004....
). The current work was conducted as part of a larger study examining the health status/presence of infectious agents, including trichomonads, in beef cattle reared in southeastern Brazil and it reports the isolation by culture and the subsequent molecular characterization of P. hominis from the preputial cavity of non-virgin Nelore bulls.

All procedures involving animals were conducted in strict accordance with the recommendations approved by the Ethics Commission for Research Employing Animals (CEUA/UFRRJ; Protocol nº 0130-10-2021). A total of four samples of preputial lavage were collected from individual Nelore bulls (with ages between 3.5 to 10 years old; mean age 6.3 years), raised in the municipality of Mangaratiba, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The property raises beef cattle exclusively of the Nelore breed, that are farmed extensively in open pasture with mineral salts and water provided ad libitum. At the time of sampling in 2019, the property had a population of 909 female cattle, of which 588 were of reproductive age, and a population of eight bulls. Reproductive management was conducted through artificial insemination; however, all animals were raised in the same pasture and as such, the bulls had access to the females for natural service. All animals were certified free of brucellosis and tuberculosis and the vaccination schedule included vaccines against brucellosis, foot-and-mouth disease, rabies and clostridial diseases. In addition, all animals received routine anthelmintic treatment.

Samples were collected after cleaning the preputial region with a moist paper towel and cutting the longest and dirtiest hairs. A disposable plastic pipette coupled to a syringe with 50 mL of sterile phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; pH 7.4) was introduced into the preputial orifice, which was closed with one hand, and with the other hand, the region was massaged so that the PBS was distributed over the entire preputial mucosa. Following the massage, a 50 mL sterile Falcon® tube was placed at a level below the orifice and the wash was collected by gravity. Washes were stored at ambient temperature (25ºC ± 3ºC) following collection and during transport to the laboratory (within 6 hours of collection).

Individual washes were centrifuged at 400 x g, for 10 min at room temperature (22°C) and the supernatant was carefully removed by aspiration to leave the pellet in approximately 1 mL of PBS. Pellets were resuspended by gently tapping the base of the tube on the benchtop and the entire material was transferred to a cell culture flask containing 6 mL of pre-warmed (37°C) Hank'sTM balanced salts solution (Vitrocell- Embriolife, Brazil) supplemented with 10% inactivated fetal bovine serum and streptomycin at a final concentration of 200 µg/mL, with incubation at 37°C and daily microscopic examination over seven days, commencing 24 hours post collection. Cultures identified as containing motile protozoa, via light microscopy with a 10x objective, were passaged (first subculture) using a volume of 200 µL as inoculum for a new flask containing 3 mL of pre-warmed culture solution as specified above, with incubation at 37°C and subculture performed every 72 h. Cultures showing morphologies and movement characteristic of parabasalids were subcultured over 6 passages. Aliquots (1 mL) of the third and fourth subcultures containing approximately 1 × 106 trophozoites (enumerated microscopically), were collected and stored frozen (-20°C) in screw-capped microcentrifuge tubes (1.5 mL capacity) for molecular characterization.

Molecular analyses followed standardized protocols (Santos et al., 2015Santos CS, Jesus VLT, McIntosh D, Berto BP, Lopes CWG. Co-infection by Tritrichomonas foetus and Pentatrichomonas hominis in asymptomatic cats. Pesq Vet Bras 2015; 35(12): 980-988. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-736X2015001200007.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-736X2015...
). Briefly, samples were defrosted, the trophozoites were sedimented by centrifugation (16,000 x g) and the cell pellets were washed once with 1mL of PBS (pH 7.2). Thereafter, washed cells were resuspended in 100 μL of InstageneTM matrix (BIORAD) with incubation at 56°C for 30 min followed by boiling for 10 min and centrifugation (16,000 x g for 5 min) to sediment the cell debris and the chelex resin present in the InstageneTM matrix. A total of 60 μL of each supernatant was transferred to 1.5 ml screw-capped microcentrifuge tubes with storage at -20 °C.

DNA extracted from the cultures suspected to contain trichomonads were examined using three distinct PCR assays. The first assay employed the primer pair “TFR1/TFR2”, and the cycling conditions reported by Felleisen (1997)Felleisen RSJ. Comparative sequence analysis of 5.8S rRNA genes and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of trichomonadid protozoa. Parasitology 1997; 115(Pt 2): 111-119. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0031182097001212. PMid:10190167.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0031182097001...
, in order to amplify a fragment of the ribosomal rRNA operon containing the gene encoding 5.8S ribosomal RNA and the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS 1 and 2) of all known trichomonads. The second assay, also targeting the rRNA operon, was used to provide specific identification of T. foetus and employed the primer pair “TFR3/TFR4” and the cycling conditions reported by Felleisen et al. (1998)Felleisen RS, Lambelet N, Bachmann P, Nicolet J, Müller N, Gottstein B. Detection of Tritrichomonas foetus by PCR and DNA enzyme immunoassay based on rRNA gene unit sequences. J Clin Microbiol 1998; 36(2): 513-519. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JCM.36.2.513-519.1998. PMid:9466768.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JCM.36.2.513-5...
. The third assay utilized the primer pair “Th3/Th5” and the cycling conditions described by Crucitti et al. (2004)Crucitti T, Abdellati S, Ross DA, Changalucha J, Dyck E, Buve A. Detection of Pentatrichomonas hominis DNA in biological specimens by PCR. Lett Appl Microbiol 2004; 38(6): 510-516. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-765X.2004.01528.x. PMid:15130148.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-765X.20...
, being used for the specific detection of a fragment of the gene encoding the small (18S) subunit of ribosomal RNA of P. hominis. The positive control used in the first and second assays was DNA extracted from the T. foetus strain K (originally isolated from the urogenital tract of a bull, by H. Guida, Embrapa, Seropédica, Brazil). In addition, DNA extracted from a Brazilian P. hominis isolate recovered from a cat (Santos et al., 2015Santos CS, Jesus VLT, McIntosh D, Berto BP, Lopes CWG. Co-infection by Tritrichomonas foetus and Pentatrichomonas hominis in asymptomatic cats. Pesq Vet Bras 2015; 35(12): 980-988. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-736X2015001200007.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-736X2015...
) was employed as a positive control in the first and third assays. Aliquots (5 µL) of each amplification reaction were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis, using 2% gels prepared in Tris-Acetic acid-EDTA (TAE) buffer. Gels were stained with ethidium bromide and visualized under ultraviolet light. The sizes of the amplification products were estimated via comparison to the positive control samples and a DNA molecular weight marker (GeneRuler, 100 bp DNA Ladder).

Post amplification analysis of amplicons was performed in two stages. Initial analysis employed a PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique (Santos et al., 2015Santos CS, Jesus VLT, McIntosh D, Berto BP, Lopes CWG. Co-infection by Tritrichomonas foetus and Pentatrichomonas hominis in asymptomatic cats. Pesq Vet Bras 2015; 35(12): 980-988. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-736X2015001200007.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-736X2015...
) to examine the amplicons of 339 bp generated using the “Th3/Th5” assay. Amplicons generated from the P. hominis positive control DNA and from the test samples were digested with 1 unit of the restriction enzymes HaeIII (Promega) and HinfI (Invitrogen) in individual reactions, with incubation at 37°C for 2 h. Digestion products were separated by electrophoresis on 8% polyacrylamide gels stained with ethidium bromide, visualized, and photo documented. Banding patterns were compared between samples and via comparison to a DNA molecular weight marker (GeneRuler, 50 bp DNA Ladder). The resulting images were analyzed using the free software Gel-Analyzer available at GelAnalyzer.com (2022)GelAnalyzer.com. [online]. [cited 2022 Mar 29]. 2022. Available from: http://www.gelanalyzer.com
http://www.gelanalyzer.com...
, to accurately determine the size of individual restriction fragments.

Nucleotide sequencing of amplicons generated from the test samples using the “TFR1/TFR2” assay was performed as follows. Aliquots (10 µL) of PCR products were treated with 2 µL of ExoSap-IT (GE Healthcare) according to the manufacturer’s protocol and sequenced in both directions using the amplification primers and the BigDye Ready Reaction mix V3.1 (ABI Corp). Reaction products were analyzed using a model 3500 Automated Genetic Analyzer (ABI Corp). Sequence alignments were performed using the SequencerTM software (Version 5.6, Genecodes Corporation, USA). All sequences were entered into the BLAST search algorithm and the NCBI nucleotide database (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) to determine genetic identity. A representative sequence obtained in this research was deposited in and compared with those available in the GenBank database.

The nucleotide sequence ON311004, derived from the bovine sample T1, together with 18 reference sequences representing the ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2 loci of different parabasalids (including Histomonas meleagridis as an outgroup) were manually edited using the SequencerTM software. A phylogenetic analysis was conducted using the MEGA version11 software (Tamura et al., 2021Tamura K, Stecher G, Kumar S. MEGA 11: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis Version 11. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38(7): 3022-3027. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msab120. PMid:33892491.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msab120...
). The evolutionary history was inferred by constructing a phylogenetic tree, tested with 1000 bootstrap replicates, using the maximum likelihood method and Kimura 2-parameter model (Kimura, 1980Kimura M. A simple method for estimating evolutionary rates of base substitutions through comparative studies of nucleotide sequences. J Mol Evol 1980; 16(2): 111-120. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01731581. PMid:7463489.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01731581...
).

Cultures containing motile protozoa were established from three of the four preputial cavity washes. The positive cultures were denominated T1, T2 and T3. All cultures were maintained over six serial passages at which point cell viability was observed to decline. DNA was extracted from cells harvested from the third and fourth passages of each individual culture and examined by PCR. All samples produced amplicons in the assays employing the primers “TFR1/TFR2” and “Th3/Th5” but were universally negative in the assay using the primers “TFR3/TRF4”. The amplicons produced were of the same size as the bands generated by the P. hominis positive control DNA. These data were interpreted as suggestive of the presence of P. hominis in the cultures. Confirmation of colonization of the preputial cavity by P. hominis was obtained by two means. Firstly, amplicons of 339 bp (including the positive control) produced in the “Th3/Th5” assay were digested with the restriction enzymes resulting in the generation of fragments of 245 base pairs (bp) and 94 bp with the Hae III enzyme, and the production of three bands of 155 bp, 126 bp, and 53 bp with the Hinf I enzyme. The banding patterns observed for the T1–T3 samples were identical to those observed for the positive control amplicon. Secondly, amplicons (338 bp) derived from the test samples using the “TFR1/TFR2” assay were sequenced. High quality electropherograms were observed for all samples, indicating the presence of a single source of DNA and the sequences obtained for the three cultures were shown to be identical. The region internal to the primer binding sites (295 bp) of the sequence determined for the sample T1 was deposited in the GenBank database with the accession number (ON311004). The novel sequence showed 100% similarity (295/295 nucleotides) to sequences deposited as originating from P. hominis detected in human pleural exudate in Thailand (GenBank Accession number; AF156964) and canine fecal samples in France (KC623939) and the USA (AY758392).

A level of 99.7% sequence similarity (294/295 bp) was recorded with the sequence MK770862 (deposited by Spanish researchers) derived from a bovine isolate of P. hominis (ATCC 30098), recovered from cattle in the USA. Lower levels of similarity (99.3% to 98.9%) were recorded with the sequences MN173995 (293/295 bp) and MN173978 (292/295 nucleotides) detected in human feces collected from Chinese patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Details of the specific nucleotide differences observed between the sequences are provided in Table 1. Based upon the molecular analyses it was concluded that the trichomonads cultured from the preputial cavity of the bulls were P. hominis. Phylogenetic analysis based on the Maximum Likelihood method and using the Kimura 2-parameter evolutionary model demonstrated that the Brazilian bull-associated trichomonad sequence ON311004 clustered in the same branch as sequences derived from canine, bovine, and human isolates of P. hominis (Figure 1). The topology of the ML tree (Figure 1), in relation to the other species of parabasalids, was consistent with those described in previous phylogenetic studies using the ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2 loci (Li et al., 2014aLi W, Li W, Gong P, Meng Y, Li W, Zhang C, et al. Molecular and morphologic identification of Pentatrichomonas hominis in swine. Vet Parasitol 2014a; 202(3-4): 241-247. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2014.01.028. PMid:24636786.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2014....
) or the small subunit (18S) ribosomal RNA (Mahittikorn et al., 2021Mahittikorn A, Udonsom R, Koompapong K, Chiabchalard R, Sutthikornchai C, Sreepian PM, et al. Molecular identification of Pentatrichomonas hominis in animals in central and western Thailand. BMC Vet Res 2021; 17(1): 203. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12917-021-02904-y. PMid:34078384.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12917-021-029...
).

Table 1
Nucleotide variance between the ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2 loci of the eight P. hominis sequences used for phylogenetic analysis.
Figure 1
Phylogenetic tree of P. hominis isolates and reference parabasalid sequences of ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2 loci from GenBank (375 positions in the final dataset). The evolutionary history was inferred by using the Maximum Likelihood method and Kimura 2-parameter model. The tree with the highest log likelihood (-2547.98) is shown. The percentage of trees in which the associated taxa clustered together is shown next to the branches. Initial tree(s) for the heuristic search were obtained automatically by applying Neighbor-Join and BioNJ algorithms to a matrix of pairwise distances estimated using the Maximum Composite Likelihood (MCL) approach, and then selecting the topology with superior log likelihood value. The tree is drawn to scale, with branch lengths measured in the number of substitutions per site. Scale bars represent 0.10 nucleotide substitution per site. This analysis involved 19 nucleotide sequences. Evolutionary analyses were conducted in MEGA11. A = Sequences with 100% nucleotide similarity with the novel Brazilian sequence ON311004; B = Sequences with 99.7% or 99.3% nucleotide similarity with the sequence ON311004; C = Sequence with 98.9% % nucleotide similarity with the sequence ON311004

The finding of P. hominis colonizing the urogenital tract of non-virgin bulls in Brazil enhances the observations previously reported by North American researchers (Hayes et al., 2003Hayes DC, Anderson RR, Walker RL. Identification of trichomonadid protozoa from the bovine preputial cavity by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism typing. J Vet Diagn Invest 2003; 15(4): 390-394. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/104063870301500417. PMid:12918825.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10406387030150...
; Walker et al., 2003Walker RL, Hayes DC, Sawyer SJ, Nordhausen RW, Van Hoosear KA, BonDurant RH. Comparison of the 5.8S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer regions of trichomonadid protozoa recovered from the bovine preputial cavity. J Vet Diagn Invest 2003; 15(1): 14-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/104063870301500104. PMid:12580289.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10406387030150...
; Dufernez et al., 2007Dufernez F, Walker RL, Noël C, Caby S, Mantini C, Delgado-Viscogliosi P, et al. Morphological and molecular identification of non-Tritrichomonas foetus trichomonad protozoa from the bovine preputial cavity. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2007; 54(2): 161-168. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1550-7408.2007.00247.x. PMid:17403157.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1550-7408.20...
; Corbeil et al., 2008Corbeil LB, Campero CM, Van Hoosear K, Bondurant RH. Detection of trichomonad species in the reproductive tracts of breeding and virgin bulls. Vet Parasitol 2008; 154(3-4): 226-232. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.03.014. PMid:18450382.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2008....
), extending the geographical range of this phenomenon to the South American continent and adds weight to the hypothesis that this trichomonad is able to persist out with of its preferred body site. The practical implications of this finding are linked to the possible distortion of the diagnosis (based solely on culture) of T. foetus, and it is considered important that veterinarians and other bovine health professionals in Brazil be made aware of this association. Clearly, misdiagnosis based on morphology could be resolved using the PCR assay based on the “TFR3/TRF4” primers (Felleisen et al., 1998Felleisen RS, Lambelet N, Bachmann P, Nicolet J, Müller N, Gottstein B. Detection of Tritrichomonas foetus by PCR and DNA enzyme immunoassay based on rRNA gene unit sequences. J Clin Microbiol 1998; 36(2): 513-519. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JCM.36.2.513-519.1998. PMid:9466768.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JCM.36.2.513-5...
) to confirm the presence of T. foetus. Nonetheless, we recommend that the “Th3/Th5” assay should be routinely incorporated into molecular testing protocols based on the fact that the identification of P. hominis can be readily and cost effectively executed using the PCR-RFLP protocol employed herein (Santos et al., 2015Santos CS, Jesus VLT, McIntosh D, Berto BP, Lopes CWG. Co-infection by Tritrichomonas foetus and Pentatrichomonas hominis in asymptomatic cats. Pesq Vet Bras 2015; 35(12): 980-988. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-736X2015001200007.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-736X2015...
). An additional justification for conducting complimentary molecular testing for P. hominis are the findings that co-infections with T. foetus and P. hominis can occur in the feline gastrointestinal tract (Santos et al., 2015Santos CS, Jesus VLT, McIntosh D, Berto BP, Lopes CWG. Co-infection by Tritrichomonas foetus and Pentatrichomonas hominis in asymptomatic cats. Pesq Vet Bras 2015; 35(12): 980-988. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-736X2015001200007.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-736X2015...
), and that dual infections with Tetratrichomonas buttreyi and P. hominis were observed in 15 (1.6%) of bovine fecal samples from four farms in China, including three dairy farms and one beef farm (Li et al., 2020Li WC, Huang JM, Fang Z, Ren Q, Tang L, Kan ZZ, et al. Prevalence of Tetratrichomonas buttreyi and Pentatrichomonas hominis in yellow cattle, dairy cattle, and water buffalo in China. Parasitol Res 2020; 119(2): 637-647. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06550-0. PMid:31823007.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-065...
). Evidently, the existence of the same phenomenon in material cultured from the urogenital tract would be overlooked in the absence of specific testing for this trichomonad.

Although a matter of debate, the extensive host plasticity of P. hominis has been proposed as evidence for it to be considered as a zoonotic pathogen (Maritz et al, 2014Maritz JM, Land KM, Carlton JM, Hirt RP. What is the importance of zoonotic trichomonads for human health? Trends Parasitol 2014; 30(7): 333-341. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2014.05.005. PMid:24951156.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2014.05.0...
; Mahittikorn et al., 2021Mahittikorn A, Udonsom R, Koompapong K, Chiabchalard R, Sutthikornchai C, Sreepian PM, et al. Molecular identification of Pentatrichomonas hominis in animals in central and western Thailand. BMC Vet Res 2021; 17(1): 203. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12917-021-02904-y. PMid:34078384.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12917-021-029...
). Thus, health professionals and farm workers having contact with the bovine urogenital tract, semen and even urine should be advised as to the potential for infection with P. hominis and the need to adopt appropriate biosafety procedures. The route(s) by which the protozoa became established in the preputial cavity was not determined, but as suggested by other workers (Campero et al., 2003Campero CM, Moore DP, Odeón AC, Cipolla AL, Odriozola E. Aetiology of bovine abortion in Argentina. Vet Res Commun 2003; 27(5): 359-369. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1024754003432. PMid:14509450.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:102475400343...
; Hayes et al., 2003Hayes DC, Anderson RR, Walker RL. Identification of trichomonadid protozoa from the bovine preputial cavity by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism typing. J Vet Diagn Invest 2003; 15(4): 390-394. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/104063870301500417. PMid:12918825.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10406387030150...
; Michi et al., 2016Michi AN, Favetto PH, Kastelic J, Cobo ER. A review of sexually transmitted bovine trichomoniasis and campylobacteriosis affecting cattle reproductive health. Theriogenology 2016; 85(5): 781-791. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2015.10.037. PMid:26679515.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenolo...
) transmission was most likely via contact with contaminated feces present in either the environment or in the gastrointestinal tract of cattle (including other males) which may have been mounted by the bulls. In support of this hypothesis, the presence of P. hominis in the bovine gastrointestinal tract has been demonstrated in Asia (Li et al., 2020Li WC, Huang JM, Fang Z, Ren Q, Tang L, Kan ZZ, et al. Prevalence of Tetratrichomonas buttreyi and Pentatrichomonas hominis in yellow cattle, dairy cattle, and water buffalo in China. Parasitol Res 2020; 119(2): 637-647. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06550-0. PMid:31823007.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-065...
; Mahittikorn et al., 2021Mahittikorn A, Udonsom R, Koompapong K, Chiabchalard R, Sutthikornchai C, Sreepian PM, et al. Molecular identification of Pentatrichomonas hominis in animals in central and western Thailand. BMC Vet Res 2021; 17(1): 203. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12917-021-02904-y. PMid:34078384.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12917-021-029...
), but to our knowledge has not been reported in the Western hemisphere.

In light of the limited number of animals examined, the findings of the current study should be considered preliminary and it is recommended that future studies on this topic should extend the range of samples tested to include the urogenital tract of cows, cattle feces present in the rearing environment and feces collected from the gastrointestinal tracts of cattle and other animals present on farms (e.g. cats and dogs) that are known hosts for P. hominis and that may contribute to the circulation of the protozoa within the production environment.

Acknowledgements

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES).

  • How to cite: Silva OR, Ribeiro L, Jesus VLT, McIntosh D, Silenciato LN, Ferreira JE, et al. Identification of Pentatrichomonas hominis in preputial washes of bulls in Brazil. Braz J Vet Parasitol 2022; 31(2): e005322. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-29612022034

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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    04 July 2022
  • Date of issue
    2022

History

  • Received
    29 Mar 2022
  • Accepted
    07 June 2022
Colégio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinária FCAV/UNESP - Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Via de acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane s/n, Zona Rural, , 14884-900 Jaboticabal - SP, Brasil, Fone: (16) 3209-7100 RAMAL 7934 - Jaboticabal - SP - Brazil
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