biostudies-literatureSullivan SAChang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou (Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital)U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)6487https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12289875biostudies-literatureUnknown16(1)Trichomonas vaginalis, the causative agent of the venereal disease trichomoniasis, infects men and women globally and is associated with serious outcomes during pregnancy, increased risk of HIV-1 infection, and cancers of the human reproductive tract. Species of trichomonad parasitize a range of hosts in addition to humans, including birds, livestock, and pets. Genetic analysis of trichomonads recovered from columbid birds has provided evidence that they undergo frequent host-switching, and that a spillover event from columbids likely gave rise to T. vaginalis in humans. Here we describe a comparative genomics study of seven trichomonad species, generating chromosome-scale reference genomes for T. vaginalis and its avian sister species Trichomonas stableri, and assemblies of five other speNature communicationsComparative genomics of the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis reveals genes involved in spillover from birds to humans.PMC12289875R21AI149449CMRPD1M0571-2U24AI183870Liu HChandler CPeters AChiu CHRogers KHSrivastava HLee HSchatz MCChen TWCallejas-Hernandez FRaidal SRLiachko ITang PBerenberg DMangelson HYeh YMCarlton JMRanallo-Benavidez TRGirard YABonneau RASullivan SALee CCJohnson CKGerhold RHuang PJOrosco JCBlow FfalseComparative genomics of the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis reveals genes involved in spillover from birds to humans.Trichomonas vaginalis, the causative agent of the venereal disease trichomoniasis, infects men and women globally and is associated with serious outcomes during pregnancy, increased risk of HIV-1 infection, and cancers of the human reproductive tract. Species of trichomonad parasitize a range of hosts in addition to humans, including birds, livestock, and pets. Genetic analysis of trichomonads recovered from columbid birds has provided evidence that they undergo frequent host-switching, and that a spillover event from columbids likely gave rise to T. vaginalis in humans. Here we describe a comparative genomics study of seven trichomonad species, generating chromosome-scale reference genomes for T. vaginalis and its avian sister species Trichomonas stableri, and assemblies of five other spe2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Jul2026-03-15T16:59:34.72Z2025-08-13T03:04:33.665ZS-EPMC122898754070744910.1038/s41467-025-61483-w