Whole Genome Sequencing-Based Detection of Tritrichomonas foetus in Fecal Sample from a Clinically Healthy Canine

This case study reports the unexpected detection of Tritrichomonas foetus, a flagellated protozoan parasite, in a fecal sample collected from a clinically healthy domestic dog using whole genome sequencing (WGS). T. foetus is traditionally associated with reproductive tract infections in cattle and gastrointestinal disease in cats, but its occurrence in asymptomatic canines is poorly characterized.In this investigation, a fecal sample from a healthy dog with no clinical signs of gastrointestinal illness was subjected to metagenomic WGS analysis. Taxonomic classification of sequencing reads identified the presence of T. foetus DNA. Follow-up bioinformatics analyses confirmed high-confidence matches to the T. foetus reference genome.This BioProject aims to contribute genomic data that may enhance the understanding of T. foetus host range, potential asymptomatic carriage in canines, and zoonotic risk assessment. The findings highlight the utility of unbiased WGS in detecting unexpected or underdiagnosed pathogens in companion animals.