Trichomonas vaginalis serostatus and prostate cancer risk in Egypt: a case-control study.

Trichomonas vaginalis is one of the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that has been associated with prostate cancer in some countries. This study aims to investigate if T. vaginalis infection can be a risk factor for prostate cancer in Egypt and its possible relationship with cancer prognostic factors and overall survival. Serum samples were collected from a total of 445 age-matched males; 126 with prostate cancer, 108 with bladder cancer, 91 with different types of cancers, and 120 healthy controls, and then analyzed by ELISA for detection of anti-Trichomonas IgG and prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The results revealed that only 8.3% of controls were seropositive for trichomoniasis, compared with 19% of prostate cancer patients (P = 0.015). There were positive associations between the levels of PSA and tumor stage with T. vaginalis IgG optical density scores among the seropositive cases (P < 0.001 and < 0.05, respectively). However, no significant correlations were detected between seropositivity of T. vaginalis and other prognostic factors or overall survival in those patients. In conclusion, chronic T. vaginalis infection may be associated with prostate cancer, but it does not seem that this STI aggravates the cancer status.

ECOLOGIC DRIVERS AND POPULATION IMPACTS OF AVIAN TRICHOMONOSIS MORTALITY EVENTS IN BAND-TAILED PIGEONS (PATAGIOENAS FASCIATA) IN CALIFORNIA, USA.

: Avian trichomonosis, a disease typically caused by the protozoan parasite Trichomonas gallinae , is a well recognized cause of death in many avian species. In California, US, trichomonosis has caused periodic epidemics in Pacific Coast Band-tailed Pigeons ( Patagioenas fasciata monilis). We summarize reported mortality events and investigate ecologic drivers and population impacts associated with epidemic mortality due to trichomonosis in Band-tailed Pigeons. Between 1945 and 2014, 59 mortality events involving Band-tailed Pigeons were reported in California with the number of reported events increasing over time. Estimated mortality for these events was variable, ranging between 10 and 10,000 pigeons. Events were most-frequently reported in Monterey (19%; 11/59) and San Luis Obispo (8%; 5/59) counties. Events often started in January (32%; 9/28) and February (50%; 14/28) and lasted 5-68 d. Impacts of mortality events on pigeon populations were indicated by Breeding Bird Survey and Christmas Bird Count abundance indices, which showed a decline in outbreak years compared to nonoutbreak years. Environmental conditions most associated with outbreak years included higher average temperatures between January and March, the period most associated with mortality events, and lower average precipitation in December just prior to mortality events. In Monterey County, events tended to occur in winters following higher acorn production of coast live oaks ( Quercus agrifolia ) in the fall. Weather and food abundance could be related to increased transmission or enhanced viability of Trichomonas spp. Although estimated mortality due to avian trichomonosis was highly variable across years, cumulative losses were substantial and likely to have a negative impact on population size.

Trichomonas vaginalis: Clinical relevance, pathogenicity and diagnosis.

Trichomonas vaginalis is the etiological agent of trichomoniasis, the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted disease worldwide. Trichomoniasis is a widespread, global health concern and occurring at an increasing rate. Infections of the female genital tract can cause a range of symptoms, including vaginitis and cervicitis, while infections in males are generally asymptomatic. The relatively mild symptoms, and lack of evidence for any serious sequelae, have historically led to this disease being under diagnosed, and under researched. However, growing evidence that T. vaginalis infection is associated with other disease states with high morbidity in both men and women has increased the efforts to diagnose and treat patients harboring this parasite. The pathology of trichomoniasis results from damage to the host epithelia, caused by a variety of processes during infection and recent work has highlighted the complex interactions between the parasite and host, commensal microbiome and accompanying symbionts. The commercial release of a number of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) has added to the available diagnostic options. Immunoassay based Point of Care testing is currently available, and a recent initial evaluation of a NAAT Point of Care system has given promising results, which would enable testing and treatment in a single visit.

The protozoan parasite Trichomonas gallinae causes adult and nestling mortality in a declining population of European Turtle Doves, Streptopelia turtur.

Studies incorporating the ecology of clinical and sub-clinical disease in wild populations of conservation concern are rare. Here we examine sub-clinical infection by Trichomonas gallinae in a declining population of free-living European Turtle Doves and suggest caseous lesions cause mortality in adults and nestlings through subsequent starvation and/or suffocation. We found a 100% infection rate by T. gallinae in adult and nestling Turtle Doves (n = 25) and observed clinical signs in three adults and four nestlings (28%). Adults with clinical signs displayed no differences in any skeletal measures of size but had a mean 3.7% reduction in wing length, with no overlap compared to those without clinical signs. We also identified T. gallinae as the suggested cause of mortality in one Red-legged Partridge although disease presentation was different. A minimum of four strains of T. gallinae, characterized at the ITS/5.8S/ITS2 ribosomal region, were isolated from Turtle Doves. However, all birds with clinical signs (Turtle Doves and the Red-legged Partridge) carried a single strain of T. gallinae, suggesting that parasite spill over between Columbidae and Galliformes is a possibility that should be further investigated. Overall, we highlight the importance of monitoring populations for sub-clinical infection rather than just clinical disease.

Dual-pathogen etiology of avian trichomonosis in a declining band-tailed pigeon population.

The Pacific Coast band-tailed pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata monilis) is a migratory game bird of North America that is at risk for population decline. Epidemics of avian trichomonosis caused by upper digestive tract infection with Trichomonas spp. protozoa in these and other doves and pigeons of the United States are sporadic, but can involve tens of thousands of birds in a single event. Herein, we analyze the role of trichomonosis in band-tailed pigeon mortality and relate spatial, temporal and demographic patterns of parasite transmission to the genetic background of the infecting organism. Infections were most common in adult birds and prevalence was high in band-tailed pigeons sampled at mortality events (96%) and rehabilitation centers (36%) compared to those that were hunter-killed (11%) or live-caught (4%). During non-epidemic periods, animals were primarily infected with T. gallinae Fe-hydrogenase subtype A2, and were less often infected with either T. gallinae subtype A1 (the British finch epidemic strain), T. stableri n. sp. (a T. vaginalis-like species), or Tritrichomonas blagburni n. sp.-like organisms. Birds sampled during multiple epidemics in California were only infected with T. gallinae subtype A2 and T. stableri. The non-clonal etiology of avian trichomonosis outbreaks in band-tailed pigeons and the risk of spill-over to raptor and passerine species highlights the need for additional studies that clarify the host range and evolutionary relationships between strains of Trichomonas spp. in regions of trichomonosis endemicity.

Effect of Anapsos in a murine model of experimental trichomoniasis.

Immunomodulator effect of Anapsos (Polypodium leukotomas extract) in NMRI (US Naval Medical Research Institute) outbred mice infected by the intraperitoneal route with 10(7) Trichomonas vaginalis has been tested. Gross histopathologic changes in abdominal organs and mortality rate, as a consequence of the pathogenicity of the protozoa and the immune response of the host, were evaluated. Among the different treatment regimes assayed, Anapsos at doses of 20 mg/Kg/day administered for 10 days before infection decreases the parasite pathogenicity index (PI) in the treated animals when compared to those of the untreated control group. The immunosuppressor treatments with azathioprine (100 mg/Kg/day x 1), cyclophosphamide (100 mg/Kg/day x 1), and FK-506 (10 mg/Kg/day x 10) significantly decreased the PI, while an immunostimulant treatment with glycophosphopeptical (13 mg/Kg/day x 10) increased it. These assays have shown the usefulness of the murine model of experimental trichomoniasis for the study of immunomodulator activity of natural or synthetic drugs.