Studies of
trichomonad protozoa in free ranging songbirds: Prevalence of Trichomonas gallinae in house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) and corvids and a novel
trichomonad in mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos).
Nedorost et al., "First evidence of previously undescribed
trichomonad species in the intestine of pigs?" Veterinary Parasitology, vol.
Some
trichomonads, including Tritrichomonas foetus and Tritrichomonas suis, primarily infect and colonize animals.
These purportedly primitively amitochondriate protists included the microsporidia, pelobionts, diplomonads, retortamonads, oxymonads, entamoebae,
trichomonads, and other parabasalids.
Detection of
trichomonads by wet-mount microscopy is low cost and convenient and thus commonly used.
The positive result was defined as the presence of one or more
Trichomonads with characteristic morphology and jerky motility.
Similar to other
trichomonads, for example, those infecting humans, T.
Microscopy - saline wet mount for motile
trichomonads, gram staining and KOH mount of smears were done (and same was whiffed for presence of fishy odor).
The discharge results were negative for
trichomonads and Gram-negative diplococci were not visible within phagocytes, direct microscopic fungi tests were negative, and cultures for general bacteria, gonococci, Ureaplasma urealyticum , and fungi showed negative results.
The detection limit of microscopy is about 100 pear-shaped
trichomonads with characteristic jerky or quivering motility per ml of specimen (10).
Trichomonads were observed and reported to the physician within minutes of receipt of the specimen, and the patient was treated immediately.
"Pseudohyphae, spores,
trichomonads and clue cells are absent, and leukocytes are scarce or absent," says Hills.