Trichomonas Foetus: Experimental Infection in Rabbits

Flagellated protozoa which comprise the genus Trichomonas, having an axostyle and an undulating membrane, occur widely as parasites in man and other animals, and though these infections may vary in degree of severity, depending on the individual host reaction, they are generally difficult to eradicate by the existing chemotherapeutic procedures. Treatment is empirical, and little knowledge of laboratory infections in animals which can be used for evaluating the effectiveness of drugs in these diseases is available. Attempts to infect animals with pure cultures of Trichomonas vaginalis, which causes distressing leukorrhea and vaginitis in humans, have met with little success (1); however, vaginal infections by Trichomonas foetus, which produces sterility and abortion in cattle, can be initiated in rabbits, and an investigation of the infectivity of this parasite for these animals was begun in this laboratory.