Morphological and molecular characterization of a species of Tetratrichomonas present in feces of Brazilian sheep (Ovis aries) and goats (Capra hircus).

The trichomonads form part of the phylum Parabasalia, a complex assemblage of diverse species of flagellated protists, with some members recognized as pathogens of men and/or animals. Associations, probably as commensals, between the species Tetratrichomonas ovis and sheep were reported in North America during the 1960s based on morphological and cultural characteristics. Intriguingly, no subsequent studies of this topic have been published.