Testing New Drugs for Their Ability to Treat Tritrichomonas foetus Infection

Feline trichomonosis, a chronic infection in cats, is caused by the Tritrichomonas foetus pathogen. It causes prolonged and intractable diarrhea, often leading to large-bowel disease, and has a reported prevalence as high as 30 percent in the domestic purebred feline population. Currently, only one drug is available to treat this infection, but it is associated with neurotoxicity and reports of resistance. Researchers will investigate the use of novel cysteine protease inhibitors for their ability to alleviate clinical signs of T. foetus infection in cats.