Name
Greek: tri = three; thrix= hair; monas= organism. Latin: gallus= chicken; columba = pigeon.
Geographic Distributions/Epidemiology
Worldwide, some strains are very virulent and thus may endanger chicken farming. Up to 60 % of the birds may be infected.
Morphology/Life Cycle
- (a)
Trichomonas gallinae (syn. T. columbae) (Fig. 1, left): This species parasitizes (being attached to the epithelium and its slimy layers) the upper intestinal tract (e.g., crop, esophagus), reaches a size of 7–15 μm × 5–10 μm, appears pear shaped, and is characterized by four free anterior flagella and a recurrent one (Fig. 1, left side). The axostyle initiates a visible protrusion at the posterior pole of the cell. Reproduction occurs by longitudinal binary fission. Hosts are pigeons, chickens, and many free-living birds.
- (b)
Tetratrichomonas gallinarum: This species has been observed in chickens, turkeys, and related species. It is characterized by four free anterior flagella and a recurrent one (Fig. 1,...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Further Reading
Lawson B et al (2011) Evidence of spread of the emerging infectious disease, finch trichomoniasis, by migrating birds. Ecohealth 8:143–153
Lennon RJ et al (2013) Trichomonad parasite infection in four species of Columbidae in the UK. Parasitology 140:1368–1376
Nielsen TJ (2012) Glycogen accumulation and degradation by the trichomonads Trichomonasvaginalis and Trichomonastenax. J Eukaryot Microbiol 59:359–366
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this entry
Cite this entry
Mehlhorn, H. (2016). Trichomonas and Tetratrichomonas Species of Birds. In: Mehlhorn, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Parasitology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-43978-4_4472
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-43978-4_4472
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-662-43977-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-43978-4
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences