Project description:Tritrichomonas foetus, a protozoan parasite responsible for bovine and feline trichomonosis, has traditionally been considered to form only pseudocysts. Here, we reveal that T. foetus produces true cysts characterized by chitin like components-rich, fibrillar walls, cytoskeletal reorganization, and resistance to detergent treatment. Cystogenesis is induced by environmental stresses such as nutrient deprivation, alkaline pH mimicking the bovine preputial milieu, and exposure to metronidazole, a frontline antiparasitic drug. This encystation enhances parasite survival and suggests a novel drug-resistance mechanism. Transcriptomic profiling identifies key pathways involved in cyst wall biosynthesis and regulation, including Myb-like transcription factors and calcium/calmodulin dependent kinases. Encysted parasites also undergo DNA replication without cytokinesis, suggesting a strategy for rapid multiplication through multiple fission upon excystation. Our findings fundamentally reshape the understanding of T. foetus biology, highlight a critical stage in its transmission cycle, and have significant implications for therapeutic and diagnostic strategies in veterinary parasitology

2026-03-23 | GSE306990 | GEO

Tritrichomonas foetus strain:KV-1

Project description:Tritrichomonas foetus strain:KV-1 (ATCC 30924) Genome sequencing

| PRJNA1123626 | ENA

PacBio Tritrichomonas foetus genome sequence

Project description:Assembled PacBio T. foetus genome

| PRJEB41567 | ENA