Effect of diverse layers of culture media and starch, antibiotic and salt on Trichomonas Gallinarum growth and comparing direct method sensitivity with the culture as a standard method

Background: Trichomonas gallinarum is one of the protozoan and flagellate’s parasites whose pathogens cause human-health problems and economic losses in livestock. This study aimed at investigating the growth of Trichomonas gallinarium in different phases of the culture medium as a gold standard, the effects of compounds such as starch, antibiotics and salt on its growth and determining the sensitivity of direct method and its repetition. Material and Methods: Gradually and in the warm seasons (late spring, summer and early fall) in 2017, 70 fresh stool samples were collected from poultry in Khorramabad city and immediately sent to the laboratory. Simultaneous with the direct method and repeat the experiment, the samples were cultured in an augmented culture of RPMI1640 to study the growth of parasite in different phases, including sediment, sediment mucus layer, transparent supernatant solution, and a mixture of the total culture medium and the effects of compounds such as starch, antibiotics and salt. Results: In this study, the highest growth rate of the parasite was recorded in the mucus layer (49.5%) followed by sediment (25%) and the lowest growth in the transparent supernatant solution (12%). However, in the mixture of all parts of culture medium used as the gold standard, only 13.5% of the parasites were observed. Moreover, the sensitivity of direct method was 63.5%, which reached 77.3% at repetition, and starch had a positive and antibiotics had a negative effect on the growth of this parasite, and the salt in the physiologic serum was ineffective. Discussion: The importance of examining the parasite growth in different layers of culture medium as a unique study is when cultivation is used as a gold standard, because, in this study, it was found that the growth of parasite in different layers was different with the culture medium mixture that determines the sensitivity of diagnostic methods. Moreover, addition of compounds such as starch that increases growth and thus increases standard sensitivity should be considered.